DEFENCE

Fire Training

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel were undergoing training on red fire engines; and how many fire engines were being used for such training before the outbreak of the firefighters' strike.

Adam Ingram: The core emergency fire cover provided by the armed forces continues to be based around the fleet of Green Goddesses, and training was initially focused on them. Subsequent to the start of the strike, some 80 red fire engines have since been made available and military personnel have completed training on them.

Gibraltar

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what extra resources have been deployed in the defence of Gibraltar this year.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom retains a sizeable defence presence on Gibraltar. No significant extra resources have been deployed in the defence of Gibraltar this year.

Afghanistan

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Al Qaeda terrorists he estimates were (a) killed and (b) captured by British forces deployed in Task Force JACANA in Afghanistan.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Aircraft Carriers

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the capabilities of the two new aircraft carriers will be; how many and what types of aircraft and helicopters will be on board; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The two new carriers (CVF) will have the capability to deploy offensive air power in support of the full spectrum of future operations.
	The numbers and types of aircraft aboard CVF will depend upon the operational circumstances at the time. However, the CVF will have the capacity to operate a wide range of aircraft, including maritime airborne surveillance and control (MASC) platforms and helicopters in a variety of roles (for example, attack, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and support.) As announced on 30 September 2002, the short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F35 joint strike fighter (JSF) has been selected to meet the joint combat aircraft (JCA) role, operating either from the carriers or from land. Although CVF will, at the outset, operate the STOVL F35, it highly desirable that they could be modified to fly a further generation of aircraft, even beyond the F35, whether or not these too are STOVL. That is why we have decided they will be built to an innovative, adaptable plan.

Aircraft Carriers

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defence systems the new aircraft carriers will have; and what the minimum protection required will be from the surface fleet on operations.

Lewis Moonie: We are still evaluating the options for on-board self-defence systems on the carrier and no final decisions will be made until the main gate business decision late in 2003. We expect normal operating practice for the future aircraft carriers (CVF) to call for a multi-layered approach to defence, including escort ships, submarines and aircraft. CVF will also operate joint strike fighter (JSF) aircraft in both offensive and defensive roles, as well as Merlin anti submarine helicopters .

Unexploded Ordnance

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what ordnance management guidelines his Department has on the clearing of the Archers Post training ground in Kenya.

Adam Ingram: The British Army mandates strict standards on the management of ordnance, which apply throughout the world. These regulations require all range conducting officers involved with unit live firing exercises to adhere to safe practices and range clearance procedures and include instructions on the reporting, recording and destruction of unexploded ordnance. The units undertaking the annual explosive ordnance clearance exercise in Kenya (Exercise PINEAPPLE) conform to these regulations.

Unexploded Ordnance

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the disposal cost of unexploded ordnance in the Archers Post training ground in Kenya is.

Adam Ingram: It is not possible to provide costs for the ordnance clearance undertaken by the individual units on completion of their training activity at Archers Post. The cost of the annual explosive ordnance disposal exercise (Exercise PINEAPPLE) is estimated at approximately £35,000 per annum. This figure does not include either capitation or transportation costs, to and from Kenya, of the personnel involved in the exercise.

Unexploded Ordnance

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what depth the Ministry of Defence surveys when carrying out clean up operations in Archers Post, Kenya.

Adam Ingram: The clearance of unexploded ordnance at Archer's Post is, in the main, carried out by visual search. Where there is evidence of unexploded ordnance in particular areas, instrumentation is used to conduct a more intensive search. There is, therefore, no specific survey depth employed for clearance of unexploded ordnance across the entirety of Archer's Post.

Army

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Army indicated when last questioned, that they were satisfied with (a) the amount of entitled leave they are able to take, (b) the frequency of operational tours, (c) the length of operational tours and (d) intervals between operational tours; what percentage of those responding this represents; what percentage of actual strength this represents; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Army has been conducting the Continuous Attitude Survey (CAS) for over 20 years. It is a valuable tool in understanding the current thinking of Army personnel and is used to help manage retention, exercise duty of care and report on progress with Army and wider Departmental initiatives. The latest survey, which was undertaken in March/April 2002, was only sent to a 4 per cent. random sample of the trained Army (excluding Gurkhas and Full Time Reserve Service personnel); 3,978 questionnaires were sent out.
	The percentages of those who responded to the most recent CAS, that are satisfied, dissatisfied or do not have a strong opinion regarding Operational tours and leave, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage satisfied Percentage neutral Percentage dissatisfied 
		
		
			 Amount of leave 49 24 27 
			 Frequency of operational tours 37 33 30 
			 Length of operational tours 43 35 22 
			 Tour intervals 30 36 34 
		
	
	I am unable to provide the percentage of the actual strength that this represents.

Missile Defence

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost to the United Kingdom of a possible ballistic missile defence system involving new weapons and the latest technology; what assessment he has made of the benefits of the system; what his policy is on the response of the UK Government to a country firing a ballistic missile at the United Kingdom; what his estimate is of a likely non-country actor obtaining and firing a ballistic missile at the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: As I told the House on 17 October 2002, Official Report, column 503, it is right that we recognise the potential contribution of missile defence to a comprehensive strategy to deal with the threat from ballistic missiles. No realistic cost estimates can be made at this stage. The United States Government has made no specific decisions on the overall architecture of a US missile defence system. No decision has been taken on the acquisition of a missile defence system by the UK.
	The firing of a ballistic missile at the UK from any source would be a clear act of aggression which would receive a proportionately serious response. We currently assess the possibility of a non-state actor obtaining and launching a ballistic missile at the United Kingdom as remote.

Car Parking

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many car parking spaces are available to (a) employees of his Department and (b) visitors to his Department within the proposed Central London Road User Charging Zone.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 19 November 2002
	The following table shows the numbers of vehicle parking spaces for departmental buildings within the proposed Central London Road User Charging Zone.
	
		
			 Location Vehicle parking spaces 
		
		
			 Main Building 68 
			 Old War Office 24 
			 St. Giles Court 32 
			 St. Georges Court 12 
			 St. Christopher House 26 
			 Castlewood House 6 
			 Hampton 3 
			 Horse Guards 18 
			 Rochester Row 5 
			 TAVRA buildings 9 
			 Total 203 
		
	
	Note:
	For Whitehall buildings spaces are provided for official vehicles, shift workers and disabled staff. Members of staff who choose to drive to work are not permitted to use a parking space. For the duration of the redevelopment work at Main Building a temporary car park has been created in Embankment Gardens. The north and south car parks are not is use.
	In addition, Wellington Barracks has 270 spaces of which 266 are allocated to residents.

Challenger

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 25 November, Official Report, column 129, on the contract for the desertisation of the Challenger 2 tank, on what date the contract was (a) let and (b) signed.

Geoff Hoon: A Post Design Services enabling agreement with Alvis Vickers Ltd., the Design Authority (DA) for Challenger 2, was authorised at the end of October 2002. A series of other contracts have been let with the DA since then, but I am withholding details of these under Exemption 1 (Defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. To provide such information would jeopardise our contingency planning and harm operational security.

Chief of Public Relations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the expenditure of his Chief of Public Relations increased from 2000–01 to 2001–02.

Lewis Moonie: As shown in Table 27 of the Departmental Performance Report for 2001–02 (Cm 5661) expenditure by the Chief of Public Relations increased from £2.8 million in 2000–01 to £3.1 million in 2001–02. The increase was due mainly to increased costs in running press facilities in support of Operation VERITAS.

Combat Assault Boot

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stock of the army's combat assault boot is held; and how long that stock will last.

Lewis Moonie: As at 27 November, there are currently 18,745 pairs of Combat Assault Boots held in stock, which equates to about eight weeks supply. Our stocks are replenished at about 6,000 pairs a week.

Combat Assault Boot

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers were issued with the combat assault boot in the last 12 months.

Lewis Moonie: For the period 1 November 2001 to 31 October 2002, 79,000 pairs of Combat Assault Boots were issued to Army units.

Combat Assault Boot

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers could not be issued with the combat assault boot in the last 12 months because of shortage of supply.

Lewis Moonie: There have recently been problems with the supply of Combat Assault Boots (CAB) as a result of production difficulties with the contractors concerned. These difficulties have now been resolved and stocks are being replenished. We do not hold information centrally on the number of boots issued to individuals at unit level. We do not believe any soldier was without CAB because of this difficulty.

Computer Theft

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many laptops and computers have been (a) stolen and (b) lost by his Department since December 2000; and how many in each category have been recovered.

Lewis Moonie: Since December 2000, there have been 260 reported cases of computer theft and six reported cases of computer losses across the Ministry of Defence. Details by category, distinguishing between laptops and other computers, and the numbers of each recovered, are not readily available, under current reporting arrangements and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. A new system of reporting is being introduced with effect from 1 April 2003. This will enable detailed data to be retrieved more readily.

Council of Ministers

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings of the EU Council of Ministers are planned where defence and security issues will be discussed over the next 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: Defence and security issues are discussed in the General Affairs and External Relations Council. The dates of these meetings are set out each month in Written Ministerial Statements from the Minister for Europe, most recently today. We do not currently have any information about dates for meetings after June 2003.

Counter-Terrorist Checks

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Defence Vetting Agency on its performance in 2001–02 towards its key target 3 on counter terrorist checks.

Adam Ingram: I am regularly consulted on the formulation of the Defence Vetting Agency's key targets, including the target for counter-terrorist checks. I am also briefed on the Agency's performance against those targets. As I explained in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Mr. Rapson) on 17 October 2001, Official Report, column 1223W, the Agency's performance would be depressed while a number of changes took place in the course of DVA collocation and an ambitious modernisation programme aimed at improving efficiency and responsiveness. I am satisfied that the necessary action is being taken to improve on last year's performance and have approved the key targets for the current year.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to (a) review the working of the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas Scheme) as it applies to his Department and (b) to extend the Scheme to include all MOD civilians.

Lewis Moonie: The Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas) (CIC(O)) Scheme is designed to give members of the armed forces and their dependants who are deployed overseas comparable levels of compensation to those that would have been awarded by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) had the incident occurred in Great Britain. The operation of the CIC(O) Scheme is, therefore, analogous to that of the CICA.
	The CICA has introduced a new scheme for applications received on or after 1 April 2001. The CIC(O) Scheme rules have been reviewed and changes made to reflect the changes to the CICA scheme.
	There are no plans to extend the CIC(O) Scheme to include MOD civilians, as they are already covered by the provisions of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). Claims under this scheme are assessed by the PCSPS Medical Advisers by analogy to the CICA Scheme.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims have been made by (a) members of HM forces, (b) dependants and (c) civilian MOD employees under the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas) Scheme in each year since 1997.

Lewis Moonie: The number of claims made by members of HM forces and their accompanying eligible dependants under the Criminal Injuries Compensation (Overseas) Scheme in the financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02 is as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of claims 
		
		
			 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998 66 
			 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999 69 
			 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 74 
			 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 70 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 47 
		
	
	The records of claims made by members of HM forces are not maintained separately from those made by their dependants. Separate figures for each category could be produced only at disproportionate cost by individually examining each case record.
	Civilian employees of the Ministry of Defence are not eligible to claim under the scheme. They are, however, covered in similar terms by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS), as are locally employed civilians (LECs).
	The number of claims under this provision is as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of claims 
		
		
			 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998 0 
			 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999 2 
			 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 3 
			 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 1 
			 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 3

Croatia

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support has been given to Mr. Terry Jeans to enable him to attend court in Croatia; and what further support is to be offered to enable him to attend a public hearing on the case on 5 December.

Lewis Moonie: Between September 1998 and July 2000, Mr. Jeans was afforded considerable financial assistance from both public and non-public funds to enable him to attend a number of court hearings in Croatia, in relation to his son, Private Simon Jeans, who died on 17 September 1996 following an assault by a number of Croatian civilians in Split. Administrative support was provided by the British Embassy and Defence Staff in Zagreb.
	The Regimental Association of the Royal Logistics Corps, which provided the most significant contribution, is unable to provide any further financial assistance to Mr. Jeans. Mr. Jeans was not the nominated Next of Kin and is therefore not entitled to support from public funds. Exceptional authority was, however, granted by the Secretary of State for the funding from the public purse of Mr. Jeans' last trip to Croatia in July 2000, to enable him to hear the conclusion of the trial of those accused of assaulting his son. This was on the basis that it constituted his final trip to Croatia and that no precedent would be set. The latest hearing concerns an appeal by a Croatian state attorney against the later release of two of those who were accused of assaulting Private Jeans. While the Ministry of Defence recognises Mr. Jeans' desire to attend this latest hearing, I am afraid that no further financial assistance can be provided to him in this case.

Cruise Missiles

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy submarines armed with cruise missiles are available for deployment to the Gulf.

Adam Ingram: Currently the Royal Navy has five submarines fitted for Tomahawk missiles, however, the specific operational status of each submarine is classified for security reasons and is being withheld in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Death Benefits

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many awards of death benefits for single soldiers have been made in each year since 1990; and what the cost was in each year.

Lewis Moonie: The number of death benefit awards for Army Single Soldiers, since 1990, including the cost in each year is in the following table:
	
		
			 Year paid Number of single person deaths Amount (£) 
		
		
			 1992 64 811,416.67 
			 1993 64 847,349.20 
			 1994 56 734,072.80 
			 1995 46 648,847.80 
			 1996 28 414,395.53 
			 1997 54 793,114.00 
			 1998 43 644,226.00 
			 1999 48 766,925.26 
			 2000 41 769,065.08 
			 2001 18 275,885.71 
			 2002 30 530,951.27 
		
	
	Complete records are held on single soldier death benefit awards from 1992 only. These figures are for Army Other Ranks (soldiers) only. They do not include Army Officers or Navy and RAF Personnel.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the recruitment policy of the Defence Export Services Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: All permanent Civil Servants employed in the Ministry of Defence are recruited in accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code. There is no separate policy for recruitment of such staff to the Defence Export Services Organisation.

Departmental Resource Accounts

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the National Audit Office qualified his Departmental Resource Accounts for 2000–01.

Adam Ingram: We have confirmed the hon. Member is referring to 2001–02. The Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) qualified the Departmental Resource Accounts for 2001–02 for the following reasons:-
	The Department was not able to give sufficient information and explanation on:
	Completeness of stock consumption and depreciation charges for assets held by contractors.
	Charges relating to stock write off and impairment of capital spares on the supply systems at Air Environment.
	The Department exceeded its voted net resources by £601.8 million in non-cash expenditure, primarily as a result of impairment of the valuation of certain equipment.
	Further details are given in the published 2001–02 Departmental Resource Accounts published on 21 November 2002 (HC47).

Director General Training and Education Organisation

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the uncertainties over funding were which have delayed the establishment of the Director General Training and Education Organisation.

Lewis Moonie: The formation of a Director General Training and Education (DGT&E) organisation was a recommendation of the Defence Training Review (DTR), announced on 27 March 2001, Official Report, column 545W by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. However, the DTR recommendations were approved by Ministers after Departmental spending plans for 2001–02 had been finalised, and it was not possible at that time to set aside funding for the formation of DGT&E. The organisation has now been established.

European Security and Defence

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in the event of competing demands on UK forces from ESDP and NATO, to which organisation will he give priority.

Geoff Hoon: The Government make decisions on the deployment of United Kingdom forces on operations on a case-by-case basis. These judgments are based on factors such as operational need, what forces we and others have to offer, and any international treaty obligations that may be relevant, with NATO remaining the foundation of our collective defence.

European Security and Defence

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is the policy of the Government that EU-NATO relations should be established so that all force planning and military command functions should be through NATO military headquarters at SHAPE.

Geoff Hoon: The Nice European Council in December 2000 decided that, for EU-led operations that make use of NATO assets and capabilities, operational planning will be carried out by NATO's planning bodies. For these operations, the Deputy SACEUR and SHAPE have been identified as the primary candidates for Operation Commander and Operation Headquarters. These arrangements are subject to finalising agreement on modalities for EU-NATO co-operation. For EU-led operations without recourse to NATO assets and capabilities, planning and command requirements would draw on existing national and multinational headquarters available to the EU.

European Security and Defence

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the Helsinki Headline Catalogue 2002 (HHC 2002) in the Library.

Geoff Hoon: This is a European Union document and thus not ours to publish. I am withholding it under Exemptions la and c (Defence, Security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	However, a summary of potential member state contributions to an EU-led operation was placed in the Library of the House in May of this year.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of when the Eurofighter will be ready for operational use by the Royal Air Force.

Lewis Moonie: We expect Eurofighter, which has been re-designated Typhoon, to be available for operational deployment in the second half of this decade.

Foot and Mouth

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what costs were incurred by his Department in providing military assistance in managing the foot and mouth epidemic.

Adam Ingram: Additional costs of around £7 million were incurred. These costs have been reimbursed to the Ministry of Defence by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Future Aircraft Carriers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what fixed wing aircraft will be used on the future aircraft carriers.

Lewis Moonie: The future aircraft carriers (CVF) should initially operate the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter. No decision has yet been taken on how best to meet our requirement for a Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) capability, and a range of embarked fixed wing air platforms remain under consideration.
	Beyond this, it is impossible to say what fixed wing platforms might be used on CVF over its planned 50-year life. CVF will be built to an innovative and adaptable design, therefore, so that it can be modified to operate future generations of air platforms, whether or not these have STOVL characteristics.

Future Aircraft Carriers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of manufacture of the future carriers will be carried out in the UK.

Lewis Moonie: In line with Government policy, the carriers will be built in United Kingdom shipyards. It is still too early in the programme to be definitive about all of the carriers' sub-systems, as many of these have not yet been selected.

Green Goddesses

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace Green Goddess fire engines.

Nick Raynsford: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have no current plans to replace the Green Goddesses, although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been giving consideration to replacing the Green Goddess capability and has made arrangements to supplement the Green Goddesses with red fire appliances in the course of the current dispute.

Hawk Aircraft Order

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the order for Hawk AJT (MFTS) from BAE Systems, Brough Site will be confirmed.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2002, Official Report, columns 5–6W to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss Mclntosh).

HMS Manchester

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the firefighters' strike has had on the planned deployment of HMS Manchester on anti-terrorist patrol duties.

Adam Ingram: HMS Manchester was due to deploy on 29 November to join the Activated Nato Task Group (Standing Naval Force Mediterranean) on Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean from 8 December to 15 January. HMS Manchester is, however, currently providing fire fighting cover during the dispute and thus will not sail as previously planned. The United Kingdom presence will be maintained through RFA Orangeleaf which will be on task throughout the period as the support tanker.

Ex-Servicemen (Housing Project)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 26 November 2002, Official Report, column 177W, what plans he has to use the housing project for ex-servicemen in Richmond, North Yorkshire, as a model for other projects in England.

Lewis Moonie: The purpose of the new Galleries short-term accommodation project in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is to provide the very small proportion of new Service-leavers who are vulnerable to homelessness with secure, short-term accommodation while they are helped to develop the confidence and independent living skills necessary to find permanent accommodation and employment in their chosen areas. The aim is to appraise the project carefully so that, where appropriate, lessons learned can be applied by the many government and voluntary agencies that are working in partnership to reduce the risk of homelessness.

Joint Force Logistic Component

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason he has not established a standing headquarters for the Joint Force Logistic Component.

Adam Ingram: The Joint Force Logistic Component (JFLogC) concept does not require a standing headquarters. The organisation and composition of a headquarters would be determined by the circumstances of particular missions. This allows mission specific factors, such as the scale, duration and complexity, to be taken into account when determining the composition of the headquarters.

Married Quarters

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what relative priority Defence Housing Estates give to refurbishing married quarters in (a) a major garrison town and (b) in more remote individual barracks;
	(2)  when the married quarters estate at Hullavington Barracks is to be refurbished; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Housing Executive (DHE) aims to upgrade core housing stock (ie that required in the longer term) to Standard 1 For Condition (S1FC). No distinction is made as to whether the properties are within a barracks or part of a garrison town.
	DHE plans to refurbish 110 family quarters at Hullavington Barracks. The project, which is designed to bring the properties up to SF1C, is due to start in early 2004.

Military Trucks Contract

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he will make an announcement on the company awarded the military trucks contract;
	(2)  how many companies bidding for the military trucks contract will base manufacture of the vehicle in the UK;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on progress being made with the tender for the military trucks contract.

Lewis Moonie: The tenders received for the military truck contract have been assessed and the four bidders have been invited to participate in a further round of tendering. Responses are expected early next year, and an announcement on the award of contract is planned for late 2003. Proposals for United Kingdom industrial participation have been included in all the bids.

Minesweepers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the scheduled decommissioning dates for each of the last Hunter class minesweepers.

Adam Ingram: On current plans the scheduled decommissioning dates for each of the Hunt class mine counter measure vessels in the Royal Navy are as follows:
	
		
			 HMS Planned operational decommissioning date 
		
		
			 Ledbury 2023 
			 Cattistock 2022 
			 Brocklesby 2020 
			 Chiddingfold 2020 
			 Middleton 2019 
			 Hurworth 2020 
			 Atherstone 2020 
			 Quorn 2020 
		
	
	A further three hunt class ships with mine counter measure capability are now configured for use as patrol craft. They are Brecon, Cottesmore and Dulverton, with planned decommissioning dates of 2016, 2022, and 2020 respectively.

NATO HQs

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many NATO HQs are based in the UK.

Geoff Hoon: There are three NATO HQs currently based in the United Kingdom. Two at Northwood (Regional Headquarters Eastern Atlantic and Allied Naval Forces North) and one at High Wycombe (a combined air operations centre).

Northern Ireland

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength is of service personnel based in Northern Ireland.

Adam Ingram: Out of the current total of 14,226 regular armed forces personnel (Army, Navy and RAF) permanently committed to operations in Northern Ireland, there were 14,042 deployed in Province on 28 November 2002. In addition, there are a further 1,039 armed forces personnel temporarily deployed to Northern Ireland as a result of the firefighters dispute under OPERATION FRESCO.

Nuclear Waste

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value of his Department's nuclear waste and decommissioning liabilities is; and what provision has been made to discharge them.

Lewis Moonie: The headline undiscounted liability figure which appears in the 2001–02 Departmental Resource Account is £16.6 billion. This compares to £16.0 billion at 31 March 2001. The headline discounted figure for which provision has been made is £3.9 billion. This compares to £3.6 billion at 31 March 2001. Further information is contained in paragraph 16.2 to the notes to the accounts of the Ministry of Defence Consolidated Departmental Resource Accounts 2001–02, which was laid before the House on 21 November 2002, as HC47.

Nuclear Weapons Tests

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department, in each year since 1972, on monitoring the health impact of radioactive emissions on British service people and medical auxiliaries from (a) atmospheric nuclear tests, (b) other nuclear tests and (c) radiological experiments.

Lewis Moonie: British atmospheric nuclear testing ceased in 1958. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Operation Fresco

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  from which budget the additional costs of Operation Fresco will be drawn;
	(2)  what discussions he has had about use of the Contingency Fund to pay for Operation Fresco;
	(3)  what the estimated extra costs to the defence budget is of Operation Fresco;
	(4)  what extra funds (a) Defence Fire Services, (b) RAF Fire Service and (c) RN Fire Services will be granted to cover their contribution to Operation Fresco.

Adam Ingram: Costs will initially fall to a wide range of Ministry of Defence budges, reflecting the many different areas of the Armed Forces involved in providing assistance. No extra funds will be made available to these areas, because MOD will recover the additional costs of the operation from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Because the defence budget will be reimbursed, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has had no discussions about use of the Contingency Fund. It is too early to say how much the military assistance will cost, but in preparing for the strike MOD incurred costs of about 8 million, mainly on purchasing major items of equipment such as protective clothing, breathing apparatus and hydraulic cutting equipment.

Macedonia

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether NATO will extend its mandate in Macedonia beyond 15 December; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 25 November 2002
	NATO has agreed to continue a military presence in succession to Operation Amber Fox in Macedonia commencing on 16 December for a limited period.

Macedonia

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is government policy that the EU should not take over the peacekeeping mandate in Macedonia unless permanent arrangements for EU-NATO relations are in place.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 25 November 2002
	The United Kingdom Government stands by the position agreed in the European Council at Seville that the European Union is willing to undertake an operation in Macedonia at the request of the Macedonian Government, once the EU-NATO permanent arrangements are in place.

Plutonium

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantities of plutonium, arising from British experiments at Maralinga in South Australia, remain buried in the desert; what environmental monitoring is conducted of these sites; and what representations have been received from Aborigines who live in the area in respect of the impact on their land.

Lewis Moonie: The final report of the Maralinga Rehabilitation Technical Advisory Committee is expected to be published early next year. Estimates of the quantity of plutonium left at Maralinga will be in the report. The Maralinga Consultative Group is currently preparing a long-term management plan for the area, which includes routine radiation monitoring and surveillance. The Maralinga Tjarutja traditional owners are represented on a consultative committee with the Commonwealth of Australia and South Australian governments. This has met throughout the project and serves as a forum in which to discuss and monitor the work being carried out.

Prague Summit

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what agreements were reached at the Prague NATO summit which will increase the defence spending of European members of NATO.

Geoff Hoon: Agreement was reached at Prague on enhancing NATO capabilities-through the Prague Capabilities Commitment, the new NATO Response Force, and a streamlined Command Structure-all of which will have resource implications for Allies.

Prague Summit

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact the conclusions of the NATO summit in Prague on 21 and 22 November have had on the Government's policy that no ESDP operation should take place until permanent relations between the EU and NATO have been established.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave earlier today.

RAF

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he has estimated the RAF experienced difficulties in maintaining the required levels of overall force element readiness.

Lewis Moonie: As stated in the Ministry of Defence Performance Report for 2001–02, the difficulties the Royal Air Force experienced in maintaining required levels of overall force element readiness were largely due to manpower shortages in some areas of employment, along with some equipment shortfalls. The RAF met its operational requirements in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002.

Refurbishment

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the original cost of the refurbishment of his Department's main building; and what the current estimated cost is.

Lewis Moonie: The costs to the Ministry of Defence will be some £55 million per annum at March 2000 prices over the 30 years of the Public-private Partnership contract. This encompasses the short-term decant arrangements, as well as the long-term provision of a wide variety of services to both the redeveloped main building and the Old War Office building. A fixed price has been negotiated for this PFI project, and only agreed changes to the requirement or deductions for non- performance will have any impact on the cost. To date, the cost has remained unchanged.

Royal Navy

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he is taking to address the shortage of trained Royal Navy personnel identified in his Department's Performance Report.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence's Performance Report 2001–02, paragraph 81, identified a number of shortages in trained personnel. The overall shortage at the end of that year, of 4.3 per cent. in the trained strength against the requirement, had been reduced to 2.9 per cent. by 30 September this year. This has been the result of excellent recruiting performance, a firm control over the requirement and slow but positive progress to reduce outflow. Our efforts in these three areas will of course continue, together with the more flexible use of manpower resources including selective extensions of service, use of full-time reservists and the implementation of the TOPMAST project to reform manpower management. Turning to the specific shortfalls mentioned in the report, although recruiting of Lynx and Sea Harrier pilots is satisfactory, shortages are caused by outflow, and this is being addressed by implementation of the recommendations of the Aircrew Retention Review. For submarine branch personnel, a number of measures are in hand to improve both recruiting and retention. Recruiting for Royal Marines Other Ranks is healthy and retention has recently improved, but we are continuing work on retaining experienced junior ranks.

Royal Navy

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) the target and (b) the actual recruitment figures were for Royal Navy personnel in each of the past five years.

Lewis Moonie: The target and recruitment figures for the Royal Navy in each of the past five years are as follows:
	
		
			 Year Target Actual Recruitment 
		
		
			 2002–03 5,060 2,470(1) 
			 2001–02 5,042 5,013 
			 2000–01 4,844 4,620 
			 1999–2000 5,019 4,950 
			 1998–99 5,088 4,770 
		
	
	(1) Figures quoted are intake as at 1 October 2002 and are rounded to nearest 10.

Service Deaths

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of victims of suicide and self-inflicted death in Her Majesty's armed forces were involved at the time of their death in disciplinary proceedings (a) as a witness and (b) facing charges; and how many of these victims had (i) gone AWOL and (ii) sought or received counselling in the six months prior to their death.

Lewis Moonie: Given the small numbers of suicides and self inflicted deaths in the armed forces each year, I have concluded that release into the public domain of the information requested would breach the rules of anonymity and confidentiality for the families of the individuals concerned. I am therefore withholding the information under Exemption 12 (Privacy of an Individual) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Service Deaths

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many boards of inquiry have been established to examine deaths in each of the HM armed services since 1990; what statistical information is compiled about the work of the boards; and in what form the recommendations of the boards are (a) collected and (b) communicated to officers who may need to act upon them.

Lewis Moonie: The information requested is not immediately available. I will, therefore, write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Service Personnel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of those discharged from the armed forces for the use of controlled substances could be liable to an enforced call-up to reserve forces.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 25 November 2002
	There are no foreseeable circumstances that would necessitate the call-out of former Service personnel discharged for the misuse of controlled substances.

Single Service Doctrine

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are dedicated to working on doctrine.

Adam Ingram: Across the Ministry of Defence there are four organisations whose responsibilities include leading on the development and production of Joint or single-Service doctrine. These are:
	The Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre
	The Maritime Warfare Centre
	The Directorate General of Development and Doctrine
	The Air Warfare Centre
	Within each of these organisations a number of personnel are dedicated to working on doctrine. (We have taken dedicated to mean their primary or full time role). The figures for each organisation are:
	The Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre : 11 military, 7 civilian
	The Maritime Warfare Centre : 2 military
	The Directorate General of Development and Doctrine : 7 military, 5 civilian
	The Air Warfare Centre : 2 military, 1 civilian.
	Additionally, the Joint Services Command and Staff College has one military officer established for doctrine work.
	Within the Army, some doctrine work is carried out at a lower level, and each of the nine Arms and Services Directorates has one retired officer and one civilian clerk established for doctrine work, i.e. 18 staff.
	This gives a total of 23 military and 31 civilians.

Suicide

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken since 1997 to provide suicide prevention and suicide awareness training programmes for members of Her Majesty's armed forces.

Lewis Moonie: There are no training programmes aimed specifically at suicide awareness or prevention within the services, but throughout their careers Officers and NCOs receive specialist training including programmes on welfare and management of personnel. Naval General Training has a number of instructional elements addressing deliberate self-harm and suicide, and related subjects such as coping with occupational stress; and the Royal Navy has produced guidance to personnel on the management of cases of deliberate self-harm. The Army also publishes a pamphlet on suicide awareness and prevention in a simple but useful format that is issued to all Commanders and NCOs. In addition all Army recruits are issued with a handbook which informs them of the welfare support available to them. During initial training all RAF recruits receive briefing on welfare issues including stress management.
	Available statistics indicate that the incidence of suicide within the services is broadly compatible with that in the population at large. However, all three services regard even a low rate to be too high and take the issue of suicide and its prevention very seriously. Measures are in place, both within and independently of the chain of command, to enable vulnerable individuals to seek help.
	Each service has its own particular systems for providing welfare support but a common theme in relation to the responsibility for prevention of suicide is the direct involvement of the Chain of Command, from Commanding Officers downwards. The services aim to provide a range of support options for those who may be vulnerable to suicide, and to ensure free and unfettered access at all times. This covers a wide range of issues including money, alcohol/drugs, marriage or domestic problems and work pressures. Since 1995 the support has included free confidential telephone lines manned by trained personnel who are able to offer counselling over the phone.
	Commanding Officers are assisted by specific individuals and agencies with skills and training that can help. These include Medical Officers, Chaplains, Unit Welfare Officers, the Naval Personal and Families Service, the Army Welfare Service and external organisations and charities contracted for the provision of specific services. Among these are the WRVS, RELATE (marriage guidance counsellors), the Samaritans and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association—Forces Help (SSAFA-FH).

Territorial Army

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason expenditure on the National Employers Liaison Committee (Territorial Army) decreased from 2000–01 to 2001–02.

Lewis Moonie: The National Employers Liaison Committee, which operates the Volunteer Reserve Forces Campaign, had a reduction in expenditure in the year 2001–02 absorbed by a reduction in the advertising budget for the campaign. The reduction was one of a number of readjustments in the overall budget for the Ministry of Defence and was taken out of cash expenditure not already committed.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation has been made of the possible health impact on British service personnel and medical auxiliaries of inoculations and other prophylactics provided to those being prepared to deploy to the Gulf region, to protect against chemical or biological toxins.

Lewis Moonie: No decision has been made to commit United Kingdom forces to operations in Iraq.
	Medical countermeasures against chemical and biological agents routinely available to service personnel deploying on operations to the Gulf are licensed products that have been rigorously tested for safety and efficacy. We are confident there should be no significant adverse health effects associated with their use.
	Procedures are in place for reporting and monitoring any health effects that do occur. Individuals who have elected to receive immunisation against anthrax are briefed on, and instructed to report, any adverse reactions to the vaccine under the Department's anthrax voluntary immunisation programme. Any adverse reactions reported to medical staff are recorded and made known to the Medicines Control Agency under the XYellow Card" reporting scheme.

UN Peacekeeping Missions

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK troops are committed to United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Adam Ingram: Some 460 United Kingdom troops are committed to United Nations mandated missions, under UN command. These missions are in Georgia, Sierra Leone, Congo, Kuwait, Ethiopia and Eritrea, and Cyprus.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the terrorist threat to Royal Navy warships (a) in home waters and (b) overseas.

Adam Ingram: The assessment of threat to HM ships, submarines and royal fleet auxiliaries from terrorist attack is kept under constant review. In common with other terrorist threats, this assessment is provided to the Ministry of Defence by the national authority, the Security Service. It is then the MOD's responsibility to determine what counter-measures need to be taken, both at home and overseas, taking account in home waters of the Government-wide terrorist alert state.

Warships (Suicide Attacks)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision he has made to protect warships from suicide attacks by terrorists in high-speed small craft.

Adam Ingram: The protection of HM ships, submarines and royal fleet auxiliaries from terrorist threats of all kinds is kept under constant review, and appropriate measures are put in place.

Warships (Suicide Attacks)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the warships (a) currently and (b) scheduled to be fitted with low-angle, close-range machine guns for protection against suicide attacks.

Adam Ingram: The requirement for force protection is kept under review. I am however, withholding full details of the Royal Navy capability in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Young Recruits

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many young service men have left the armed services in each of the last five years as a result of 2 Xunhappy under 18s" regulations.

Lewis Moonie: The type of data held on this subject varies according to the schemes operated by each of the Services and is not, therefore, available in a common format. The information that is available is as follows.
	Royal Navy
	The number of young personnel who have left the RN (and Royal Marines) in 2002 and each of the past five years as 'unhappy juniors' or 'unable to settle during the first 12 months' is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Age 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(2) 
		
		
			 16 — 3 — — — — 
			 17 15 27 18 34 20 24 
			 18 8 15 15 21 21 16 
			 Total 23 45 33 55 41 40 
		
	
	(2) To end September 2002
	Army
	Statistics for exits under the 'unhappy under 18' scheme are recorded under the same code as other reasons for exit. The number of authorised discharges of under 18s in each of the past five years in the data category which will include 'unhappy under 18s' is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year Total 
		
		
			 1999 74 
			 2000 125 
			 2001 202 
			 2002(3) 292 
		
	
	(3) To end October 2002
	There is no Army data held in this detail prior to 1999.
	RAF
	The RAF did not introduce an 'unhappy under 18' scheme until mid 2002, since when two people have left under its provisions. Prior to that, all those under 18s who left the RAF at their own request did so under 'Discharge as of Right' provisions; and the number of such exits in 2002 and each of the last five years is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Age 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(4) 
		
		
			 16 13 7 25 17 24 21 
			 17 64 109 90 95 98 104 
			 Total 77 116 115 112 122 125 
		
	
	(4) To end October 2002

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiesel

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Mortimer Report on Biodiesel will be published; and what contribution her Department made in influencing the content of the report.

Michael Meacher: The report from Sheffield Hallam University was commissioned by the Department to provide an independent, comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the comparative energy, environmental and socio-economic costs and benefits of biodiesel production in the UK. The terms of reference for the study were agreed with the Government-Industry Forum on the Non-Food Uses of Crops and with industry. A draft of the report was published for consultation in June this year and, in finalising the report, the authors have looked carefully at the points made and have taken account of new evidence put forward. We expect the report to be peer reviewed in December and published in January 2003. The Department has had no influence over the content of the report. For bioenergy, this Department plans and manages independent research through its Science Directorate to inform the development of policy. All research reports are published and clarity of presentation is the only factor considered.

Energy Crops

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial incentives are available for those who wish to grow biomass crops.

Michael Meacher: This Department has allocated £29 million under the Energy Crops Scheme, part of the England Rural Development Programme, for establishment grants for short rotation coppice (SRC) and miscanthus and for SRC growers to set up producer groups. The Government are also providing £70 million of funding through a package of measures which will develop markets for biomass, including energy crops, in heat, combined heat and power and electricity generation. Short rotation coppice and miscanthus can be planted on set-aside land and receive payments under the Arable Area Payments Scheme. The European Commission has published initial proposals for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to take effect from 2004. Under these proposals, no crops would be grown on set-aside land. A new carbon credit of 45 per hectare is proposed for energy crops, to be paid to producers entering into a contract with a processor. The proposal includes a maximum guaranteed area of 1.5 million hectares eligible for this additional payment.

Building Specifications

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the national building specification (Government works) standards format has been used for specification purposes on Government construction, redevelopment and refurbishment projects in the last three years; and what those projects were.

Paul Boateng: This information is not available centrally.

Common Agricultural Policy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she has taken to ensure that organic farmers receive more subsidies under the CAP.

Michael Meacher: None. It would not be consistent with our policy on agricultural production subsidies to put in place such payments for organic farmers. However, because of the environmental benefits organic farming delivers, we provide conversion aid to farmers under the Organic Farming Scheme and we intend next year, subject to approval from the European Commission, to extend the coverage of the scheme to organic farmers post-conversion. We also provide free advice to prospective organic farmers through the Organic Conversion Information Service and support an organic R&D Programme.

Climate Change Levy

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) relevant underlying agreements and (b) qualitative requirements set for the facilities are of those sector associations party to a Climate Change Levy umbrella agreement which have supplied her with information specified in part 2 of Schedule 3 of those agreements.

Michael Meacher: No information has yet been supplied to the Secretary of State. Schedule 3 of the underlying agreements contain the qualitative requirements, and these are the same for all facilities. The framework underlying agreement can be seen on the Defra website.

Climate Change Levy

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which targets under climate change levy umbrella agreements and underlying agreements have not been met; of those, in respect of which targets she is considering whether they so appear; and if she will conduct a public consultation in advance of making a decision on such progress.

Michael Meacher: Since no information has yet been supplied, the Secretary of State has no information on whether targets have been met. The circumstances under which progress made towards meeting the targets set for a facility is to be taken as being satisfactory are set out in clauses 7.2 to 7.6 of the umbrella agreements. The Secretary of State does not intend to hold public consultations in advance of making decisions as to whether the requirements of those clauses have been satisfied.

Climate Change Levy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of climate change levy agreements, which sectors have (a) met and (b) not met their targets.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 November 2002
	Under clause 6.5 of the umbrella agreements, sector associations are not required to submit information specified in Schedule 3 for the first target period until 31 January 2003, extended by agreement to 17 February. The Secretary of State has no information at present on whether targets have been met.

Climate Change Levy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which sector associations and operators have served a notice on her under climate change levy agreements in response to a notice served by her relating to variations to sector targets she proposes should be made, and on what dates; and if she will place copies of each such notice in the Library;
	(2)  on how many occasions she has failed to agree on a variation of sector targets under climate change levy umbrella agreements; and what disputes concerning failure to agree on a variation of sector targets under climate change levy umbrella agreements have been referred for adjudication; and on what date;
	(3)  what notices she has served on sector associations and operators relating to variations to sector targets under climate change levy agreements she proposes should be made, and on what dates; and if she will place copies of each such notice in the Library;
	(4)  what agreements have been made between her and sector associations under climate change levy umbrella agreements on a variation of sector targets, and on what date; and if she will place copies of each such agreement in the Library.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 November 2002
	The procedure for varying sector targets as provided for in Schedule 6 to the umbrella agreements is triggered by the submission of information as required under Schedule 3 to the agreements. Since no data have yet been supplied, no notices relating to the variation of sector targets have yet been served, and therefore, there have been no agreements or disputes concerning failure to reach agreement.

Departmental Budget

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the proportion of her administration budget in the current financial year which is allocated to matters formerly within the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Alun Michael: About 90 per cent.of Defra's administration budget in 2002–03 is allocated to matters formerly within the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Energy Using Sectors

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the agreements reached between her predecessor and the largest 10 energy using sectors in December 1999 relating to the climate change levy.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 November 2002
	In December 1999, the Deputy Prime Minister reached agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding with each of the 10 largest energy using sectors relating to the climate change levy. These were not published. These have been replaced by Climate Change Agreements with the sector associations, and copies of each of these agreements have been placed in the Library.

Environmental Performance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library the reports of FTSE 350 companies on their environmental performance.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 November 2002
	Information about the overall state of play on FTSE 350 companies' progress in reporting their environmental performance, was placed in the Library in July this year. The reports which companies produce are publicly available in various formats—for example, as free-standing documents, or contained within annual reports and accounts, or on corporate web-tes. Requests for up-to-date information and documentation should be made direct to the companies concerned.

Food Imports

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how frequently her Department checks the number and visibility of signs at ports and airports warning against the import of meat.

Margaret Beckett: New posters were produced and displayed in February. During the summer we conducted one general exercise to assess the number and visibility of the posters. Since then we have conducted a number of follow-up reviews of sites where posters were allegedly not displayed. Priority is given to checking those ports and airports which handle the greatest number of international passengers.
	A further review will be initiated when the penalty posters and information leaflets are redesigned to reflect the new EU rules restricting imports of meat and dairy products from outside the EU from January 2003.

Food Imports

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to amend the law on the penalties available to the courts for the illegal import of meat and meat products.

Margaret Beckett: The Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) (England) Regulations 2002 already allow for a penalty of a £5000 fine per offence and/or three months imprisonment on summary conviction or an unlimited fine and/or up to two years imprisonment on conviction on indictment.
	The Government's Action Plan commitment on deterrence will be reviewed taking into account the results of the risk assessment that the Government have commissioned into the risk of disease in imported meat affecting livestock. This review may include the introduction of fixed penalty notices.

Government Regional Offices (Staffing)

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many DEFRA staff are employed in each Government Regional Office.

Alun Michael: It is difficult to provide figures in precisely the form requested, since some staff in Government Offices will be undertaking DEFRA related work while other DEFRA staff may have applied for and been appointed to posts not related to DEFRA activities but would be identified as having DEFRA as their Xparent Department". That explains the number of staff in the Government Office for London and the high number in the East of England. The only Government Office with any significant agricultural structural funds work is the Government Office for the South West where they administer the objective 1 agriculture programme in Cornwall. This explains the high number of staff in the South West.
	Against this background the number of staff in Government Offices whose parent Department is identified as DEFRA at October 2002 was 93. The number in each Office was:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 East of England 24 
			 East Midlands 8 
			 London 9 
			 North East 6 
			 North West 6 
			 South East 8 
			 South West 19 
			 West Midlands 5 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 8

Meat Imports

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the ports where amnesty bins for illegal meat imports have been installed.

Margaret Beckett: No official amnesty bins have been installed at UK ports or airports.
	An action group met on 22 August to discuss how we can utilise amnesty bins in our bid to reduce the risk of disease entering the country through illegal imports of meat, fish, plants and their products. Work will be taken forward in the light of my statement to the House on 6 November, that the lead responsibility for anti-smuggling measures will be transferred to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

Non-food Crops Scheme

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications and how much money was awarded under the non-food crops scheme broken down by Government Office Regions in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Michael Meacher: In the non-food crops sector the only support scheme currently run by this Department is the Energy Crops Scheme. This provides assistance for farmers through establishment grants for short rotation coppice (SRC) and miscanthus, and funding for SRC growers to set up producer groups. Details of the applications received and grants issued for each financial year since the scheme came into force in October 2000 are as follows:
	
		
			  2001–01 2001–02 2002–03  
			 Government office region Number of applications received Total value of grants issued (£) Number of applications received Total value of grants issued (£) Number of applications received Total value of grants issued (£)  
		
		
			 South West — — — — — — 
			 South East — — — — 2 — 
			 East of England 5 — 19 61,220 8 14,280 
			 East Midlands 15 — 3 104,160 1 8,480 
			 West Midlands 3 — 2 7,170 2 3,183 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 13 — 4 61,810 1 35,740 
			 North East — — 5 — — 6,000 
			 North West 1 — — — — — 
			 Total 37 — 33 234,360 14 67,683 
		
	
	Note:
	In some cases, grants are paid in the year following receipt of the application.

Poultry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the average cost was of a (a) conventionally and (b) organically produced (i) turkey, (ii) chicken, (iii) duck in (A) 1979, (B) 1985, (C) 1990, (D) 1995, (E) 2000 and (F) 2002;
	(2)  what the average cost was of a kilogram of (a) conventionally and (b) organically produced (i) potatoes, (ii) carrots, (iii) onions, (iv) cauliflower, (v) peas and (vi) mangetout in (A) 1979, (B) 1985, (C) 1990, (D) 1995, (E) 2000 and (F) 2002.

Michael Meacher: Average UK farmgate prices for conventionally produced commodities are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Average farmgate price 1979 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002 (January to October) 
		
		
			 Turkey (p/kg carcase weight) N/a 141.1 120.5 124.3 129.6 116.4 
			 Chicken and other table fowl (p/kg carcase weight) N/a 89.5 87.0 84.0 70.8 67.7 
			 Chicken and other table fowl (Price £ per bird) N/a 1.37 1.33 1.30 1.10 1.07 
			 Duck (p/kg carcase weight) N/a 157.8 120.7 140.4 170.3 167.3 
			 Potatoes (£/tonne) 58.9 52 99 188 83 89 
			   
			 Crop years  1985–86 1990–01 1995–96 2000–01 2001–02 
			 Carrots (£/tonne) N/a 88.90 224.53 204.63 242.63 119.32 
			 Onions (£/tonne) N/a 84.13 129.06 160.06 98.13 127.66 
			 Cauliflower (£/tonne) 162.00 205.21 238.45 283.29 243.04 230.35 
			 Peas for market (£/tonne) N/a 252.90 515.66 453.29 567.24 567.83 
			 Peas for processing (£/tonne) N/a 216.74 217.24 203.30 255.58 254.47 
		
	
	The following tables provide the estimates for organically produced commodities as published by the Soil Association in their organic food and farming report. Data is only available for 1998 onwards.
	
		Poultry (table birds)(5)
		
			 Price £ per bird 
		
		
			 6.16 1998 
			 6.32 1999 
			 6.52 2000 
			 5.50 2001 
			 5.00 2002 
		
	
	(5) Mainly chicken
	
		Horticulture -- Price £ per tonne
		
			 Vegetable 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Potatoes 240 300 247 250 200 
			 Carrots 340 340 300 300 197 
			 Onions 320 336 344 300 250 
			 Cauliflower (6)0.30 (6)0.40 700 700 600 
			 Fresh peas 2,500 2,500 2,570 2,750 2,514 
		
	
	(6) Price per individual cauliflower
	Mangetout data is not available
	Mainly chicken

Rural Payments

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her target is for making payments under (a) the Vocational Training Scheme and (b) the Rural Enterprise Scheme; what proportion of payments meet those targets; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Rural Development Service has responsibility for processing and authorising claims made under the Vocational Training Scheme and the Rural Enterprise Scheme. For both schemes the aim is to pay all complete claims, ie those submitted with the appropriate supporting documentation, within one month of receipt. Most recent available information indicates that around 90 per cent. of Vocational Training Scheme claims and 83 per cent. of Rural Enterprise Scheme claims are authorised within one month of receipt. The above-mentioned figures reflect the fact that a proportion of claims are submitted with incomplete supporting documentation in the first instance.

Soil Organisms

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken by her Department to investigate the impact of (a) conventional and (b) organic farming systems on soil organisms and the role they play in relation to (i) retention of moisture and carbon, (ii) delivering nutrients and (iii) the avoidance of soil erosion.

Michael Meacher: The study of soil organisms in relation to aspects of soil fertility forms a significant part of the Department's R&D budget. The Department is spending approximately £1.2 million on Soil R&D in 2002–03. This includes work on soil fertility, quality, erosion and sustainable management. Examples include SP0130 which is investigating the long-term impacts of sewage sludge additions on soil properties; SP0519 which considers critical levels of soil organic matter for soil stability and function, and SP0524 an audit of all UK soil research. We fund monitoring of soil quality including the Representative Soil Sampling Scheme (current project SR0123) and the National Soil Inventory (current project SP0521). A recently completed project (OF0164) compared the soil fertility in soils farmed organically and conventionally. The project found evidence of increased levels of earthworms and beneficial nematodes in organic compared to conventional soils, but concluded that the differences in soil microbiology were subtle rather than dramatic. There is to be a review of our soil R&D in spring 2003. Future R&D is likely to consider soil function, soil biology and improved monitoring.
	In relation to the effects of soil organisms on
	(i) retention of moisture and carbon, research is proceeding on factors influencing the levels of organic matter in soils, which will in turn affect water retention;
	(ii) delivering nutrients, a large amount of research has been funded on the effects of soil organisms in cycling nutrients within soils, and work is continuing in this area;
	(iii) the avoidance of soil erosion, research on soil erosion has shown that soil structure can be an important factor and this in turn can be affected by soil organisms. However other factors, such as slope, crop, cultivation, soil type and rainfall intensity, are often of equal or greater importance.

Supermarket Trolleys

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of supermarket trolleys discarded off supermarket premises in the last year for which figures are available; what measures she plans to take to reduce off-site discarding of supermarket trolleys; and if she will bring forward proposals to levy an environmental charge.

Michael Meacher: Figures for discarded shopping trolleys are not collected centrally. Legislation is already in place regarding abandoned shopping trolleys. Under section 99 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities can collect abandoned shopping (and luggage) trolleys, store them and charge owners for their return. Adopting a deposit system, installing obstacles that prevent trolleys being taken off the site, or publicising a trolley collection service, will help control this problem and prevent retailers being charged for trolley collections. Given these measures, we have no plans to levy an environmental charge.

Thailand

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on increasing the amount of Thai food produce imported into the United Kingdom.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 19 November 2002
	Promotion of exports to the United Kingdom is a matter for the authorities of the country or countries concerned.

TRANSPORT

A316, Twickenham

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will carry out a survey of traffic on the A316 in Twickenham, showing the number of vehicles using the road per hour per day; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: No. The A316 is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London.

Channel Tunnel

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the ban on the use of vehicles which use LPG fuel from the Channel Tunnel.

David Jamieson: Eurotunnel's original applications for operating certificates excluded the carriage of LPG and dual-fuelled vehicles. It is for the company to come forward with proposals to extend the range of its services to include these vehicles; Eurotunnel has been keeping its policy under review. If the company does seek to extend the scope of its services to include these vehicles, it will first need the agreement of the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission, acting on the advice of the independent binational Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, to its proposals.

Cliffe Airport

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  pursuant to his answers of 26 November, refs 82497 and 82787, with whom in Thurrock venue options were discussed for holding a public consultation exhibition on the Cliffe airport option;
	(2)  pursuant to his answers of 26 November, refs 82497 and 82787, what reasons underlay the choice of venues for public exhibitions on the Cliffe airport option.

David Jamieson: No discussions were held with either individuals or organisations in Thurrock about possible venues for holding public exhibitions on the Cliffe option. As I set out in my answer on 26 November to my hon. Friend Official Report, column 206W, the main criteria applied in identifying suitable venues for all the exhibitions were proximity to the airport option and affected areas, venue capacity, accessibility and availability.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the statement given to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Transport on 28 November concerning the airports consultation.

Freight Policy

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to develop the use of freight facilities grants to encourage the movement of freight off roads.

David Jamieson: Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), Water or rail freight facility grants are available to encourage these modes rather than road transport
	On the water side, in April of this year we published a consultation document, 'Financial Assistance for Moving Freight from Road to Inland Waterway and Maritime Transport', which set out our ideas for the development of the water FFG scheme. There was broad industry agreement with our views. We will very shortly publish our final proposals. Copies of this document will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	We expect to introduce our widened water scheme by the end of 2003. As far as rail is concerned the Strategic Rail Authority, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government who have responsibility for rail FFGs, are developing new grant schemes that will improve the targeting of support to encourage more companies to move freight by rail.

Low Cost Carriers (Aviation)

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to regulate low cost carriers in the UK civil aviation industry; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Government has no plans to introduce legislation specific to low cost carriers. All UK operators are subject to the same regulations and to oversight by the Civil Aviation Authority.

London Underground

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 70W, what assessment he has made of the sufficiency of the long-term grant together with fare revenues to fund the proposed public private partnership.

David Jamieson: The Government's long-term grant offer will ensure that the Tube modernisation plans are properly funded. London Underground fares are a matter for the Mayor. The grant offer, however, takes into consideration London Transport's planning assumption that fares would rise in line with inflation each year.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money was paid to (a) Deutsche Bank, (b) Slaughter and May and (c) Ernst & Young, during Railtrack Administration.

David Jamieson: To date, the Department for Transport has paid £1.7million to Deutsche Bank, £5.9 million to Slaughter & May and £15.6 million to Ernst & Young in respect of fees incurred as a result of the administration of Railtrack pic. Further fee invoices have yet to be paid.

Railways (Disabled Access)

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards identifying which facilities need to be improved by train operators to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

David Jamieson: The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations made under Part V of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) set down technical requirements to be met by new trains that have entered service since 1 January 1999. The Department has also produced guidance for the industry on the application of those Regulations which provides practical advice on the application of the Regulations.
	For stations, which are covered by the part III provisions of the DDA, the Strategic Rail Authority has published a Code of Practice and guidance to train operators about the preparation of Disabled Persons Protection Policies. It has invited each operator to prepare a gap analysis of the infrastructure changes which might reasonably be required to comply with the legislation. This will form the basis for the work to be done at each station.

Salisbury Bypass

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what representations he has received regarding proposals for a bypass at Salisbury;
	(2)  what research has been (a) conducted by or for his Department and (b) assessed by his Department regarding the impact of a bypass at Salisbury;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on discussions his Department has had with interested parties with regard to proposals for a bypass at Salisbury;
	(4)  what the timetable is for construction of a bypass at Salisbury; and what the anticipated cost is.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State has received no such representations and has held no such discussion. No research has been conducted or assessed by my Department. There are no plans for a Bypass at Salisbury.

Seaports (Policing)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future policing of seaports.

David Jamieson: All ports are subject to normal standards of policing provided by the relevant Home Office force. However, seven ports (Bristol, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Liverpool, Tees & Hartlepool and Tilbury) also have their own dedicated police forces. We have recently carried out a review of the management and accountability of these forces and will be issuing a discussion paper outlining our findings before the end of the year.

Strategic Rail Authority

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes have taken place to levels of staffing within the Strategic Rail Authority and its shadow predecessor; what requirements on levels of staffing have been placed on the organisation; and how the organisation has reacted to such directions.

John Spellar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 November 2002, Official Report, column 274W. The Authority reports on staff numbers in its annual report and accounts. Its 2001–02 report and accounts includes the following information:
	
		Number of staff employed, excluding Board Members and Special Constables
		
			  31 March 2002 31 March 2001 
		
		
			  
			 Strategic Rail Authority 354 284 
			 BRB (Residuary) Ltd 52 108 
			 Rail Passengers' Council 57 49 
			 British Transport Police 2,302 2,215 
			 Total 2,765 2,656 
		
	
	The numbers for the British Transport Police exclude Special Constables, of which there were 73 as at 31 March 2002.
	In addition, there were 11 Board Members (one executive, 10 non-executive) at 31 March 2002 and 121 members of the Rail Passengers' Council and Committees.
	When it was established in July 1999 there were approximately 165 members of staff in the central shadow Strategic Rail Authority.

Underground Stations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 74W, which London Underground stations are step free.

David Jamieson: The 29 step free stations owned and operated by London Underground are:
	Bermondsey
	Caledonian Road
	Chalfont & Latimer
	Canada Water
	Canary Wharf
	Canning Town
	Chesham
	Chorleywood
	Dagenham Heathway
	Elm Park
	Hammersmith (District & Piccadilly)
	Hammersmith (Hammersmith & City)
	Heathrow Terminals 123
	Heathrow Terminal 4
	Hillingdon
	London Bridge
	North Greenwich
	Roding Valley
	Southwark
	Stanmore
	Stratford
	Sudbury Town
	Tottenham Hale
	Upney
	Uxbridge
	Woodford
	West Finchley
	Westminster
	Woodside Park
	In addition, the 8 step-free stations served by London Underground but managed by Train Operating Companies are:
	Barking
	Kew Gardens
	New Cross
	Olympia
	Richmond
	Upminster
	Wimbledon
	Willesden Junction

TREASURY

Advance Corporation Tax

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been raised by ACT in each year since its introduction.

Ruth Kelly: The yield from Advance Corporation Tax, which was charged on distributions by UK companies, can be found in XAnnual Receipts of Inland Revenue Taxes: Table 1.2" at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/tax receipts/menu.html This table covers the period from the introduction of ACT in 1973 to its abolition in 1999.

Azerbaijan Pipeline

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the IMF regarding the use of funds from the Azeri Oil Fund for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers have not had any contact with the IMF about the BTC pipeline. However, the IMF is working with the Azeri authorities to get Azerbaijan's PRGF programme back on track. This involves resolving a number of issues, including the Oil Fund. Once this has happened, the programme will come back for approval to the IMF Board, on which the UK is represented.

EU Budget Surplus

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the European Commission in respect of the EU Budget Surplus in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Council's recommendation on discharge to be given to the Commission in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 2000 included the following comment on EC budget surpluses:
	XThe Council notes the persistence of significant surpluses at the end of the financial year. This tendency could affect the credibility and sound management of the Community budget.
	The origin of these surpluses lies in incorrect estimates of both revenues and expenditure. The Council urges the Commission, with the collaboration of member states, to make more precise estimates of sources of finance and to adapt expenditure estimates to real requirements."
	The UK supported this recommendation.
	The UK will press for the Council's recommendations to the European Parliament on discharge to the Commission for the 2001 budget to include use of the Supplementary and Amending Budget procedure to revise budgets in year, to prevent large surpluses materialising in future and to implement, in conjunction with member states, more realistic forecasts of projected Structural Fund payments.

EU Draft Savings Directive

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 26 November, ref 83459, if he will list the dates on which the Government have held discussions relating to compliance with the EU Draft Savings Directive with (a) the Cayman Islands and (b) Bermuda, since June 2001.

Ruth Kelly: HM Government held discussions with the Cayman Islands Government relating to the EU draft Directive on Taxation of Savings, on: 24–26 October 2001, 27 May 2002, 10 June 2002, 24 September 2002, 27 September 2002 and 26 October 2002.
	HM Government held discussions with the Government of Bermuda relating to the EU draft Directive on Taxation of Savings, on: 21 May 2002, 24 September 2002, 27 September 2002.
	HM Government also has regular contact on this issue with the Governor of the Cayman Islands and the Governor of Bermuda.

Euro

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will announce the (a) names and (b) terms of reference of the independent specialist assessors appointed to judge the tests on euro membership; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to what I said in the House on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 268.

European Union Contributions

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money the United Kingdom has paid to the European Union in total in each financial year since 1997; how much the UK has received from EU sources in each year; and how much has been returned under the terms of the Annual Rebate.

Ruth Kelly: Details of the United Kingdom's gross contribution to, abatement and public sector receipts from the EC Budget for the financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02 can be found at Table 3.1 (page 12) of the 2002 European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 5547).

Investment Ombudsman

Robert Walter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints there have been about the Investment Ombudsman's handling of casework in the last two years; how many have been successful; and how many have failed.

Ruth Kelly: The Investment Ombudsman, together with seven other dispute resolution schemes for financial services, has been incorporated into a single financial services dispute mechanism, the Financial Ombudsman Service. The Financial Ombudsman Service assumed its full powers and responsibilities on 1 December 2001 under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
	Ahead of assuming its full powers on 1 December 2001, the Financial Ombudsman Service consolidated and revised the different procedures that the eight predecessor schemes had in place for handling complaints against themselves.
	The Financial Ombudsman Service tells me that their Board appointed an Independent Assessor on 1 December 2001, and, in the period since his appointment up to 31 March 2002, he received 50 complaints. Of these, 12 were upheld (in whole or in part), 14 were rejected, eight were determined to be outside the Independent Assessor's terms of reference and 16 awaited a decision.
	Since 1 April 2002 to date, the Independent Assessor has received a further 59 complaints. Of those on which he has made a decision, seven have been upheld (in whole or in part), 29 have been rejected and 15 have been determined to be outside his jurisdiction.

Landfill Tax Credit

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason recycling schemes other than pilot projects are not eligible for support under the landfill tax credit scheme.

John Healey: holding answer 27 November 2002
	When the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme was introduced it was felt to be inappropriate for tax credits to be used for long-term projects. The Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report on 27 November that the scheme will be reformed with approximately a third of the funding—about £50 million—continuing to be available for spending on community environment projects. The remainder will be allocated to public spending to encourage sustainable waste management.

Local Government Funding

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the level of central funding by the Government of (a) Cheshire county council, (b) Chester city council, (c) Vale Royal borough council and (d) Crewe and Nantwich borough council for each of the last five years; and what the average funding of city and borough county councils in England was in those years.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Minister for Local Government and the Regions on 26 November 2002, Official Report, column 255–58W.

Lung Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people died as a result of lung cancer in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is as follows:
	(a) In 2001, there were 782 deaths registered in Northern Ireland attributed to lung cancer; and
	(b) in 2001, in the rest of the United Kingdom there were 32,643 deaths attributed to lung cancer.

National Savings and Investments

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the target time is for response by National Savings and Investments to correspondence from members of the public; and what has been the performance of the Department in responding to letters in each of the last three months.

Ruth Kelly: National Savings and Investments sets a variety of internal targets for differing types of customer correspondence. These range from two to nine days dependant on complexity, with an average target (time from receipt of customer correspondence to despatch) of four days. For the past three months (August—October 2002) the individual targets have been met on 98.2 per cent., 99.2 per cent. and 99.8 per cent. respectively.
	National Savings and Investments responded to 2.1 million customer letters or written instructions during the three months in question.

Pensions (Taxation)

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the European Commission's Communication on taxation of pensions.

Ruth Kelly: In April 2001, the Commission issued a Communication on the elimination of tax obstacles to the cross-border provision of occupational pension. This encourages member states to strike a balance between their Treaty obligation to promote the internal market and their legitimate social policy aims, including occupational pensions. The Commission Communication itself has no legal status and nor does it advocate any Community legislation.
	The Government recognise the Commission's efforts to make the single market operate effectively in provision of cross-border pension schemes, and is willing to work towards making this objective a reality. The Government support, in principle, removal of barriers to provision of cross-border pension schemes.

Sustainable Timber

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has that timber provided by Jewson is obtained from sustainable sources.

Paul Boateng: Jewson is committed to the responsible sourcing of timber. Through its parent company, Saint-Gobain Building Distribution Ltd., Jewson is a major member of the Timber Trade Federation and the WWF 95+ Group.
	Saint-Gobain Building Distribution has declared that it will not source any timber prohibited under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
	Jewson has been actively working toward achieving Chain of Custody for its internal timber supply sites at Hull and Newport. Hull was inspected by The Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) in October 2002 and is awaiting its formal certification reference, while Newport is due for inspection by TRADA on 18 December 2002.

Sustainable Timber

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence is required by the Office of Government Commerce from companies to prove they are obtaining timber from legal and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: In line with the Government commitment made in July 2000 following a statement by the Minister for the Environment, Mr. Michael Meacher, the Office of Government Commerce, including OGCbuying.solutions, is actively seeking to ensure all timber supplied through its contracts is from legal and sustainable sources.
	Wherever possible third party independent evidence from organisations such as the Forest Stewardship Council and the Timber Research and Development Association is provided. The exact form of this varies from contract to contract.

Treasury Publications

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much it cost to (a) publish and (b) distribute the explanatory leaflet that accompanied (i) the Budget and (ii) the pre-Budget report; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Budget 2002 summary leaflet cost around £72,000 to publish and around £136,000 to distribute. The pre-Budget report summary leaflet is estimated to have cost around £77,000 to publish and around £128,000 to distribute. All costs have been met from within Departmental Expenditure Limits.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL FOR SCOTLAND

Right to Buy (Agricultural Holdings Bill)

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Advocate-General whether she has been asked to advise the Scottish Executive on the human rights implication of an absolute right to buy under the Agricultural Holdings Bill.

Lynda Clark: The Advocate-General is the principal legal adviser to the Government on matters of Scots law, and it is not her role to provide legal advice to the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Executive has its own Law Officers, the Lord Advocate and Solicitor-General for Scotland.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Credit Card Debt

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what plans she has to address levels of credit card debt;
	(2)  what discussions her Department has had with credit card companies regarding levels of credit card debt.

Melanie Johnson: I recently published the results of research commissioned by the DTI into the cause, extent and effects of overindebtedness, which includes data on credit card use. The Task Force on Tackling Overindebtedness, which includes representatives from the credit industry as well as from consumer groups and Government, have considered this research as well as the results of several working groups looking at different ways of achieving more responsible borrowing and lending, including some relating to credit card facilities. I am now considering their recommendations for further action, in the light of the work we are doing on reviewing the consumer credit act, and will publish my response in due course.

Fishermen's Redundancy Scheme

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was paid out in the ex-gratia redundancy scheme for redundant fishermen in the 1990s; and how much was paid to fishermen in (a) Hull, (b) Grimsby and (c) Fleetwood.

Nigel Griffiths: The total amount paid out under the ex-gratia arrangements that operated between 1993 and 1995 was just under £14 million. No breakdown by port was kept at that time.

Nuclear Safeguards

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the occasions since the 1977 Tripartite Safeguards Agreements between the UK-Euratom-IAEA came into force, that nuclear materials have been withdrawn from safeguards under the provisions of Treaty Article 14; what type and quantity of nuclear materials were involved in each case; and which withdrawals were permanent.

Nigel Griffiths: A paper containing detailed information on advance notifications of the withdrawal of nuclear material from safeguards up to the end of 1999 was placed in the Library of the House on 28 July 2000, Official Report, column 1094W. Information on notifications during the period January 2000 to February 2001 was given in a written answer on 1 March 2001, Official Report, columns 732–33W, and information covering the period February to December 2001 is available on the non-proliferation section of the DTI website www.dti.gov.uk/non-proliferation.
	The website will be updated annually and data for withdrawals during 2002 will be available there early in 2003. Information on withdrawal notifications made so far during 2002 is however contained in the following table. The withdrawals involved only small quantities of nuclear material used in radiation detectors or to be used for analytical purposes or as radiological shielding. All are regarded as permanent, except that from High Technology Sources Ltd.
	
		Summary of Advance Notifications of Withdrawals from Safeguards (January to November 2002)
		
			 Number of withdrawal notifications (by type of nuclear material involved)(7) Reason for withdrawal 
		
		
			 Two notifications involving plutonium (Pu), g quantities Material to be used for analytical purposes (eg samples, standards/tracers and/or instrument calibration)(8) (both from NPL Teddington) 
			 Three notifications involving high enriched uranium (HEU), total ~6g Material contained in radiation detectors(8)(all from Centronic Ltd.) 
			 Four notifications involving depleted natural and low enriched uranium (DNLEU), total ~17kg Two for material to be used for analytical purposes (eg samples, standards/tracers and/or in instrument calibration)(8) and two for material for use as radiological shielding (two from NPL Teddington and one each from UKAEA Harwell and High Technology Sources Ltd.) 
		
	
	(7) The tabulated information covers advance notifications of withdrawal approved by DTI and which resulted in the eventual withdrawal of nuclear material from safeguards.
	(8) There are no facilities outside safeguards which manufacture material in such quantities and forms, and defence establishment requirements for these specialist materials have therefore been met by supply from civil organisations.

Arms Exports (India)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Government collates on the final destination of shipments of military aircraft spares shipped to India in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

Jack Straw: holding answer 27 November 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	For all export licence applications, the exporter is required to provide details of the end user. The stated end user is one of the factors taken into account when assessing the application. We do not collate information on the final destination of shipments of military aircraft spares to India but our overseas posts have standing instructions to report on allegations of misuse, diversion or re-export of any UK-origin defence equipment, including aircraft spares.

Arms Exports (India)

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what ECGD funds have been approved for purchases of products on the military list shipped to India during (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 27 November 2002
	ECGD has provided no support for defence exports to India since 1998.

Brownfield Land (London)

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will increase the target set for the London Development Agency to recover 30 hectares of vacant brownfield land per year in London.

Alan Johnson: LDA corporate plan targets are approved by the Mayor of London, in agreement with central Government. The LDA target for brownfield land for 2002–03 was 30 hectares.
	I understand that the LDA has already reclaimed some 32.6 hectares of brownfield land for development this year and that it is revising its forecast for the remainder of 2002–03.
	The LDA is currently preparing a new corporate plan for 2003–06 and will shortly be agreeing new targets with the Mayor and Government for the remediation of brownfield land during this corporate plan period.

Business Start-ups

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the target set in 1998 for achievement in 1999–2002, to secure an increase in the number of successful high growth business start ups.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	In 1998, a target was set to secure an increase in the number of high growth business start ups over 1999–2002. The latest figures are for 1997 (provisional) and estimate over 11,000 Xhigh growth" firms. Provisional 1998 and final 1997 figures will be available by the end of the year. The Government made a commitment in the Competitiveness White Paper published in December 1998 to provide a new high-quality advice service designed to support 10,000 pre and start-up businesses a year in England (by the end of March 2002), who were identified as having high growth potential. The programme was managed and funded nationally by the Small Business Service but delivered locally via allocations to the 45 Business Links in England. £20 million of funding was committed between October 1999—March 2002.
	By the end of March 2002 around 8,500 pre- and start-up businesses had received support. Support was provided across a variety of business sectors to people who are traditionally considered to face barriers in starting and growing a business including women, ethnic minorities and young entrepreneurs.
	Financial support is continuing to Business Link Operators for the delivery of advisory services to pre- and early start businesses identified as having high growth potential. £10 million was included in the Business Link core budget allocation for 2002–2003.

Business Support Schemes

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the members of her Department's investment committee that will assume responsibility for business support schemes, together with their (a) corporate positions and (b) experience.

Patricia Hewitt: Fields Wicker-Miurin will chair the Business Support Investment Committee.
	Ms Wicker-Miurin is an international business executive with more than 20 years experience in the European media and financial services industries. She is Executive Director of Leaders Quest; a Non-Executive Director of United Business Media plc and of Savills plc; a member of the Nasdaq Technology Advisory Council; a Trustee of the London International Festival of Theatre, London Musici, and the Council of Tate Members; a Trustee of the Brogdale Trust; and a Council member of Kings College London, where she chairs the Audit Committee. She is also a member of the DTI's executive board.
	The wider membership of the Committee has not yet been determined. It is proposed that it will comprise two to three external members drawn from the Department's new boards, a representative from the Treasury, a Regional Development Agency Chair and senior DTI officials.

Car Boot Sales

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures the Government are taking to end the illegal sale of goods at car-boot sales.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 28 November 2002
	Last year we introduced Stop Now Orders to give local authority trading standards departments, and other enforcers, stronger enforcement powers for use against a range of breaches of consumer protection legislation. We are strengthening the enforcement powers available to trading standards departments still further in the Enterprise Act 2002, which will extend the scope of Stop Now Orders when the Act comes into force next year.

Civil Nuclear Emergency Planning

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the last emergency exercise took place under the civil nuclear emergency planning programme; what the (a) budget and (b) actual cost was of the last exercise; what assessment of it took place; whether the results were made available to hon. Members; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: The last exercise in the civil nuclear emergency planning programme took place on 7 November 2002 based on Chapelcross Power Station. Previously this year, exercises have also taken place based on Sizewell B on 25 September 2002, Hunterston B on 26 June 2002, Bradwell on 10 May 2002, Capenhurst on 26 April 2002, and Dungeness on 27 March 2002. All of these exercises were designed to test off-site arrangements and involved relevant local and national agencies. The Bradwell and Dungeness exercises were the major national exercises for 2002–03 and 2001–02 respectively.
	Costs of exercises have generally been met by the individual responding organisations which see participation as part of their normal preparations to deal with an emergency. Information on budgets and costs are not collected or collated centrally, nor in many cases identified as a separate item. A report is prepared on the outcome of each exercise. Final reports on these exercises are routinely forwarded to the Libraries of the House.

Construction Industry

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support the Government has given to the British construction industry's recent focus on National Construction Week.

Brian Wilson: National Construction Week aims to raise the profile of the construction industry to young people and seeks to increase awareness about the potential career opportunities construction has to offer. The Government welcomes this initiative and fully supports it. As Minister for Construction I attended a number of NCW 2002 events in London and Wakefield.
	DTI and DfES have representatives on the NCW Steering Group. DTI's Construction Sector Unit has provided financial support for the Campaign to improve delivery and communications of NCW messages and to assist with the development of the NCW website.
	The construction industry needs to attract and retain talented young people and the Government welcomes all activities that aim to raise awareness of the excellent career opportunities it has to offer.

Electricity Generation

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the planned margin of excess generation plant capacity for electricity generation at peak demand for security of supply is; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: Ofgem does not set specific targets for reserve margins as it believes that the incentives in place under NETA and in the markets will provide participants with the appropriate signals for meeting customers' needs.
	According to the October update of NGC's 7 Year Statement, the projected plant margin for the coming winter is 17.4 per cent. in England and Wales. However, this takes no account of some 7,000 MW of mothballed plant, a significant proportion of which could be returned to use for this winter if required. If just one quarter of the mothballed plant were to be included, the margin would reach 20 per cent.
	The plant margin in Scotland is around 25–30 per cent. even with interconnectors treated as demand.
	Monitoring the adequacy of generating capacity and the way that the industry is responding to market signals is one of the key tasks of the DTI-Ofgem Joint Energy Security of Supply working group, set up in July 2001.

Energy Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Energy Council held in Brussels on 25 November; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: I represented the UK at the EU Energy Council in Brussels on 25 November.
	The Council considered several matters of interest to the United Kingdom. Chief among these was the internal market in electricity and gas on which there was agreement to full market opening by mid 2007.
	During the discussion of the Gas and Electricity Directives, all member states agreed on the need for a firm date for full market opening, though one member state said that a final date should be subject to an interim review by the Commission.
	The final agreement provides for the opening of the industrial and commercial market by mid 2004 and the opening of the market for all remaining consumers by mid 2007.
	In discussions of the key issue of legal unbundling, the European Commission underlined that legal unbundling of distribution system operators and transmission system operators was a minimum requirement of a liberalised market while pointing out that it did not entail separate ownership of distribution and production. Some member states thought other approaches could also achieve the overall objective of market transparency and access to networks—arguing that member states should be allowed to retain measures having an equivalent effect to legal unbundling. The UK, supported by most other member states, disagreed and made it clear that legal unbundling was an essential part of the final package. The overwhelming evidence was that legal unbundling was essential to the development of a liberalised market with little evidence that alternative approaches would work as effectively.
	The final agreement provide for legal unbundling of transmission system operators by mid 2004 and legal unbundling of distribution system operators by mid 2007. A Commission report published in 2006 will review the progress made towards liberalisation. It will also provide member states with the opportunity to request a derogation from the legal unbundling requirement for distribution if they can show that equivalent measures are just as effective. However, any such derogation will have to be decided by co-decision.
	A Regulation on cross-border exchanges in electricity was also agreed as part of the compromise.
	Revised criteria on support to projects under the Trans European Networks (TENS) energy programme were agreed.
	Discussion of the EU's Intelligent Energy for Europe proposal, which provides for a new four-year programme of support for renewable energy and energy efficiency, centred on the budget. Agreement was reached on a figure of 190 meuro, a compromise between the 255 meuro sought by the European Parliament and the 150–160 meuro preferred by several member states.
	Most member states supported the stated objectives of the Commission's Cogeneration proposal, which seeks to promote the cogeneration of heat and power in order to reduce energy demand as a means to both reduce dependency on external supplies of energy and contribute to the achievement of carbon savings, but thought the 50 MW upper limit on support restrictive, illogical and counterproductive, and that the proposal involved bureaucratic and costly compliance burdens. The proposal will be taken forward by the Greek presidency.
	Member states agreed on presidency conclusions on the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.
	The Commission made a presentation on its package of nuclear proposals, comprising directives on nuclear safety and waste management together with a proposal for an agreement between Euratom and Russia covering trade in nuclear materials. The Commission justified this largely on the grounds of EU enlargement and the need to reassure public opinion on safety and waste management. Although discussion had not been envisaged, several member states expressed doubts about the treaty base for the proposals, stressing the political sensitivity. One noted that the Euratom Treaty did not provide the Community with competence on nuclear safety, and challenged the proposals as unrealistic.
	The Council noted Commission progress reports on the EU-Russia energy dialogue (with adoption of conclusions), the Energy Charter Treaty and the Northern Dimension.
	Greece gave a presentation on its presidency priorities. It will concentrate on four main areas: security of energy sources (energy TENS and the EU's proposed oil and gas stocking directives); sustainable development (cogeneration directive and follow-up to Johannesburg); co-operation with third countries (EU-Russia, Energy Charter Treaty, Euro-Med and North Eastern Europe); and continuation of work on the nuclear package.

EU Single Market

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the target set by her Department in 1998, to enable transposition of 98 per cent. of EU Single Market measures into UK law by the end of 2000.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	The UK had transposed 97.3 per cent of EU single market measures due by November 2000. By March 2002, we had exceeded the 98 per cent. target (with 98.7 per cent). Our score in May 2002 was 98.5 per cent. and the November 2002 score was 98.6 per cent.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what ECGD funds have been approved for contracts involving (a) aircraft consultancy services and (b) Das Air since 2002.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 27 November 2002
	ECGD has no record of having provided any support in respect of contracts involving these entities.

Exports

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the targets set in 1998 for achievement in 1999–02, with (a) improving support for exporters, (b) raising the quality of service, (c) generating additional exports and (d) enhancing the business image of the UK.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	British Trade International was established in 1999 to bring together the work of my Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on international trade and investment; and to bring sharper focus to the Government's trade development activity.
	Information on progress against PSA targets is published annually in the Government Expenditure Plans for British Trade International (Cm. 5415).

Fire and Safety Standards

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received regarding continuing costs relating to compliance with fire and safety standards British Standard EN 54.4 and EN 54.2.

Melanie Johnson: None. Fire safety standards would normally be a matter for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Fireworks

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received during the last three months about the nuisance caused by fireworks; what steps she is taking to evaluate the extent of the nuisance; and when she will bring forward further controls on the sale and use of fireworks.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 27 November 2002
	We have received significant representations during the last three months about firework nuisance and the situation is being monitored.
	In relation to the introduction of further controls on the sale and use of fireworks, I refer my hon. Friend to an answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Mr. Hendrick) on 17 October 2002, Official Report, columns 889–90 announcing a package of measures to address problems caused by fireworks.

Fireworks

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to improve firework safety, with particular reference to the hazards of falling debris from display fireworks.

Melanie Johnson: The weight of falling debris is specified in British Standard 7114 for certain types of firework. Steps are being taken to ensure that this is carried through to the forthcoming European standards for fireworks.

Fireworks

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the fireworks manufacturers and vendors concerning the use and availability of fireworks; and if she will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: I have had recent discussions with representatives of the British Fireworks Association prior to my announcement on the 17 October 2002, Official Report, columns 889–90 of a package of measures to cut the number of firework accidents as well as noise and nuisance.
	Prior to this year's Guy Fawkes night, the Department wrote to major retailers and representative bodies to urge compliance with the voluntary sales period.

Foreign Direct Investment

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the target set in 1998 by her Department for achievement in 1999–2002, to maintain the UK as the prime location in the EU for foreign direct investment.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	The United Nations Conference On Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2002 (released in September 2002) reported that the UK is in top position in the EU for inward investment. The UK's share of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks increased from 18.3 per cent at the end of 2000 to 18.8 per cent at the end of 2001.

Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what decision has been made through EU Framework 6 (science funding) on the future of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme; what the position of the Government was; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government strongly supports the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme, an initiative that could provide vital information on subjects such as climate change and its prediction; impacts of global change and management strategies; sub-seabed biodiversity; desertification; natural disasters and coastal zone management.
	No formal decision has been taken by the European Commission on the work- programme for the thematic priority XSustainable development, global change and ecosystems" under the Sixth Framework Programme (2002–06). However, the Government is encouraging the European Commission to ensure that the areas of activity envisaged for IODP would be eligible for funding under this thematic priority.

IT Security

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to review the security of the Department's IT system; and how many digital attacks there were on the Department's system in (a) October and (b) 2002.

Stephen Timms: The core Department's internal IT system undergoes a regular cycle of security testing commensurate with its security policy.
	No digital attacks were recorded in October 2002. During 2002 as a whole, one attempted attack was detected and defeated.

Manufacturing Sector

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has taken to ensure that Government contracts support UK manufacturing.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 28 November 2002
	The Department is in discussion with the Treasury and the Office for Government Commerce to see how, while staying within EU procurement rules and the principle of ensuring value for money, we can make public procurement more open and accessible, especially for smaller firms. Significant progress has already been made in a number of areas of benefit to UK manufacturing, not least on construction, defence, textiles and SMEs.
	In particular, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry and Defence launched a new Defence Industrial Policy on 14 October 2002 (published by the Ministry of Defence as XDefence Industrial Policy (Policy Paper No. 5)").

Miners' Compensation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations she has received in the last 18 months on the timing of payment of claims to ex-miners for compensation for respiratory disease.

Brian Wilson: The Department receives around 100 letters a month on timing of individual compensation payments. The various National Ministerial Monitoring Groups meet regularly and make representations on all aspects of both the respiratory and vibration schemes.

National Minimum Wage

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful prosecutions for failure to pay the national minimum wage have there been in Leeds.

Alan Johnson: The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 contains a number of provisions empowering enforcement officers to take civil action against non-paying employers and the Inland Revenue always uses these in the first instance.
	Since the minimum wage was introduced in April 1999 the Inland Revenue has issued around 450 enforcement notices in the UK requiring employers to start paying the minimum wage and make good any arrears, and identified over £12 million in arrears. A minority of disputed cases have been considered by employment tribunals.
	National minimum wage statistical data are not disaggregated to constituency level. Leeds falls into the Inland Revenue's Yorkshire/Humberside region and for the period referred to over £1.3 million in wages arrears was identified and 101 Enforcement Notices issued.
	To date there have been no criminal prosecutions in relation to underpayment of the minimum wage in the UK.

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects the UN panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to present substantiated evidence regarding alleged breaches of the OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises committed by UK companies, as listed in Annex III of their report.

Patricia Hewitt: The expert panel's mandate expired when it submitted its last report. There is currently no UN process or mechanism in place to follow up the report and supply the information the UK and others have requested. Discussions are under way in the UN on how to proceed. We are pressing for a resolution to this problem and continue to press for the information we have requested to be supplied as soon as possible.

Parliamentary Questions

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 25 November 2002, Official Report, column 36W, for what reason guidance was necessary; when and by whom guidance was supplied; and if the wording was supplied by a different Government Department.

Patricia Hewitt: It has been the practice, over successive Administrations, for the Cabinet Office to issue guidance to others on a range of issues, including answering parliamentary questions where appropriate.

Parliamentary Questions

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 November 2002, Official Report, column 36W, if she will set out the criteria used to assess whether a parliamentary question is a round robin in respect of which guidance is expected.

Patricia Hewitt: The term Xround robin" is used by my Department's Parliamentary Branch to indicate to officials that the Member has tabled similarly worded questions to other Government Departments.

Regional Government Offices (Withholding Information)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidelines are given to regional government offices on withholding information from hon. Members.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	Government Offices act in accordance with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Rural Gas Supply

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with OFGEM on facilitating the supply of mains gas to rural communities.

Brian Wilson: The Department is in frequent discussions with a range of interested parties, including OFGEM, on measures to assist the fuel poor in non-gas areas, including rural areas.

Rural Post Office Network

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 30W, on the Post Office, when she expects to announce the details of funding for the rural post office network; and what preliminary discussions she had with the European Commission on state aids clearance.

Stephen Timms: The Government are fully committed to supporting a rural network. As recommended by the Performance and Innovation Unit (in their report in June 2000: XCounter Revolution, Modernising the Post Office Network) we have asked the company to maintain the rural network and to prevent avoidable closures, in the first instance to 2006. This has been underpinned by the appointment of Rural Transfer Advisers by POL and a £2 million fund to support community post office initiatives.
	As recommended by PIU the Postal Services Commission has advised us on options for supporting the rural network from 2003. Following detailed consideration of this advice and discussion with the company the Government are now committed to making a substantial financial contribution to the rural network.
	£450 million will be made available (from 2003 to 2006) to help the rural post office network through the transition of benefit payment to ACT. The package will be funded from Royal Mail Holdings accumulated surpluses, as part of a package to put Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd. on a commercial footing.
	This funding is designed to help Britain's rural post offices through the changes in the network's business over the next few years. It provides direct support to rural post offices, maintaining front line services in local communities. It will also give Post Office Ltd. the financial freedom to pilot new and innovative ways of providing post office services in rural areas.
	The funding will be administered by Post Office Ltd. under contract to the Government. In return for this investment Post Office Ltd. will be required to maintain the rural network and prevent all avoidable closures, working through their Code of Practice for doing so in the first instance to 2006; and to provide reasonable access for all citizens to Xover the counter" services in rural areas.
	These services include:
	Access to payment of the state pensions, tax credits and benefits
	Access to cash through banking services.
	Dispatch points for letters and parcels;
	Postage stamp sales;
	Renewal of licences (eg television);
	Bill payments to utilities; Government information and services specified in service contracts between POL and individual Government Departments.
	A total of £150 million will be invested in each of the next three years, all of it ring-fenced for the support of the rural network.
	There will be three elements to the funding:
	£66 million a year to maintain sub-postmasters income levels (by maintaining the AOP (assigned Office Payment) for rural sub-postmasters);
	£79 million in the first year, and £74 million in years two and three, to fund the front line services that allow post offices to operate, including IT systems, cash delivery and direct marketing material;
	A £25 million flexible fund (£5 million in the first year, rising to £10 million in the second and third years), to develop innovative, modern methods of delivering of services.
	The flexible fund will enable Post Office Ltd. to:
	Promote and finance innovative ways of delivering services, including compensation for the closure of offices replaced by pilots for these new ways of delivering services;
	Make additional payments to sub-postmasters on a case by case basis to modernise and improve the individual business.
	Our expectation is that POL will work closely with the National Federation of Sub-postmasters and other stakeholders to make best use of this fund.
	We remain in dialogue with the European Commission on matters relating to Post Office Ltd., and we expect to submit a formal notification to the Commission this week. Subject to state aid clearance, funding will be in place in April 2003.

Small Firms

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the targets set in 2000 for achievement in 2001–04, to achieve (a) an increase in the number of people considering going into business, (b) an improvement in the overall productivity of small firms and (c) more enterprise in disadvantaged communities.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	Progress against the targets set in 2000 will be published shortly on the DTI website.
	We will be able to report progress on the number of people considering going into business in early 2004, based on result from the 2003 Household Survey of Entrepreneurship.
	SMEs productivity increased faster than all firms in the UK between 1999 and 2000.
	Between 2000 and 2001 there was a narrowing of the gap between VAT registration rates in the most and least deprived wards in England.

Social Chapter

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many EU Directives have been brought in as a consequence of the UK signing up to the Social Chapter; and if she will list them.

Alan Johnson: The UK has transposed five Directives arising from the Social Chapter: the Parental Leave Directive, the European Works Council Directive, the Part-time Work Directive, the Burden of Proof Directive in Sex Discrimination cases and the Fixed Term Employees Directive. In addition the Information and Consultation of Employees Directive has to be transposed by March 2005.

Solar Electricity

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the case for the introduction of a support system for solar electricity by establishing a tariff that pays a higher price per KWh for solar electricity generated.

Brian Wilson: The Renewables Obligation which the Government introduced from 1 April 2002 provides a substantial market advantage to most forms of renewable energy including solar electricity.
	The possibility of a banded Obligation set at different levels for different forms of renewable energy was among possibilities explored in the consultations prior to the introduction of the Renewables Obligation, but a banded Obligation was rejected as too complex and requiring too great a degree of intervention in the renewable energy market.
	The Government has, however, taken action additional to the Renewables Obligation to promote solar energy, in particular the setting up of the Major Photovoltaics (PV) Demonstration Programme on 26 March 2002. The Government has provided £20 million over three years for the first phase of this programme. Grants averaging 50 per cent. of costs are available both for small-scale applications between 0.5 and 5kWp and for medium and large scale installations up to l00kWp.
	Prior to this, the Government provided £10 million for the Domestic Field Trial and Large-Scale Field Trial for Public Buildings, which will see a minimum of 500 homes and 15 larger non-residential buildings receive PV systems.

Sustainability Strategy

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what progress has been made towards the target set in 1998 for achievement in 1999 to 2002 to secure improvement in performance against a set of competitiveness indicators to be developed and published annually from 1999.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	The most recent 'UK Productivity and Competitiveness Indicators' were published in October 2002. They show that there has been progress in terms of macroeconomic stability, literacy and numeracy, the competitive framework, and the science base. However, weaknesses remain in terms of intermediate skills and innovation performance. This is why the Government has implemented a series of measures to improve performance in both areas, including the R and D tax credit for large firms, extra resources for DTI innovation schemes, the Employer Training Pilots to boost skill development and the review of adult learning.

Trade Partners UK

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the target set in 2000 for achievement in 2001–04, to deliver a measurable improvement in the business performance of Trade Partners UK customers.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	Progress towards the target set in 2000 for achievement in 2001–04, to deliver a measurable improvement in the business performance of Trade Partners UK customers will be reported in the Autumn Performance Report to be laid before Parliament in December 2002.

Value For Money

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the target set in 2000 for achievement in 2001–04, to achieve value for money improvements of 2.5 per cent. a year across the Department.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 November 2002
	The efficiency savings achieved by my Department in 2000–01 have been calculated at £19.3 million. The figure represented a percentage saving of 4.6 per cent. of administration costs in that financial year. Savings for 2001–02 are currently being assessed and will be published in the Department's next Expenditure Plans Report in April 2003.

Water Project (Lesotho)

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what report ECGD received in 1994 about action taken by the Lesothan Government pending an audit of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project; what representations ECGD made to the Government of Lesotho; what action ECGD took; and if she will make a statement about progress with investigations involving bribery and that project.

Patricia Hewitt: In December 1994 ECGD received advice that the Chief Executive of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) and the Chief Delegate to the Joint Permanent Technical Committee (JPTC) had been asked to vacate their offices pending the outcome of a Management Audit of the LHDA. ECGD was not called upon to respond nor did it think it appropriate to make direct representations to the Government of Lesotho, as there was no suggestion of illegal acts on the part of these individuals.
	As to the current situation, ECGD has contacted the companies who were members of the consortia involved in the project and which benefited from its support. We have sought and received assurances from them that they had no involvement in any unlawful conduct and we have been provided with no information to suggest that they were involved in corruption.
	We are aware that there has been a guilty verdict against Acres International Canada, which we understand is subject to appeal. ECGD continues to closely monitor developments in relation to the Court action in Lesotho.

World Trade Organisation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what the total cost was to the United Kingdom of sending a team to the WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Sydney on 14 November; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) Ministers and (b) staff attended the WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Sydney on 14 November; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The UK, along with the 14 other EU member states, was represented at the mini-ministerial by the European Commission. No UK officials or Ministers attended the mini-ministerial, so there was no cost to the United Kingdom.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the British members of the UNMOVIC inspection team in Iraq have experience with United Kingdom weapons of mass destruction.

Mike O'Brien: None. The only Briton in the current team is a biological weapons analyst from UNMOVIC headquarters in New York. This situation may alter if UNMOVIC call on other British experts on their roster.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the head of the United Nations Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission on the availability of suitably qualified inspectors for its mission in Iraq; and whether the United Kingdom has assisted UNMOVIC with the provision of monitoring equipment.

Mike O'Brien: We have maintained regular contact with the Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC about preparations for the resumption of inspections in Iraq, most recently during his visit to London on 22 November. The issue of the availability of suitably qualified inspection personnel has been an integral part of our on-going dialogue.
	UNMOVIC themselves are responsible for ensuring that they have all the necessary equipment to carry out effective inspections. We have, however, recently loaned them chemical agent monitoring equipment pending the delivery of goods procured commercially.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UNMOVIC inspectors in Iraq are British; and whether there are plans to increase that number.

Mike O'Brien: There is one British member of the inspection team currently in Iraq.
	Our most recent information is that there are 16 British citizens on the UNMOVIC inspectors' roster. It is likely that most of them will serve on future inspection teams. The staffing of individual inspection teams is a matter for UNMOVIC.

Iraq

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on support for Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: We believe that there are Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq. Their links to the Iraqi regime are not clear. We know of no evidence of popular support for Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Austria

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Austrian election.

Denis MacShane: The final shape of the new Austrian Government has yet to be announced. I congratulate Dr. Schussel on the success of the Austrian People's Party.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what income from fishing licences was received in each of the last five years in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Mike O'Brien: Income from fishing licences in the past five years in the British Indian Ocean Territory is as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Income (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,573,094 
			 1998–99 2,271,595 
			 1999–2000 744,042 
			 2000–01 1,108,072 
			 2001–02 822,497 
		
	
	Against this, however, should be set the cost of management of the fishery including the fisheries protection vessel. In Financial Year 2000–01 fisheries expenditure was £1,559,678. For Financial Year 2001–02 it was £1,438,386.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in the Convention of the Future of Europe.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda (Mr. Bryant) on 5 November 2002, Official Report, column 139.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals have been submitted by the Government on a Draft Constitutional Treaty of the European Union.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, as the Government's representative on the Convention on the Future of Europe, submitted to the convention a draft constitutional treaty produced by Professor Alan Dashwood of Cambridge University. Although this draft is not Government policy, it is a useful contribution to the debate. A number of other papers on specific tropics have also been submitted to the convention.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the timetable for the Convention on the Future of Europe.

Denis MacShane: The convention remains on target to complete its work in time to report to the European Council in June 2003. The analytical phase will conclude before Christmas, with institutional questions due to be considered in the New Year. Discussions on elements of a draft constitutional text will continue, with a consolidated draft likely to appear by Easter.

Cyprus

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Cyprus regarding their accession to membership of the European Union.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I discussed Cyprus' accession to the European Union with Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, the Cyprus Foreign Minister, when he visited London on 26 and 27 November. We welcomed Cyprus' progress in the negotiations and that it should be among those candidates which conclude negotiations next month. We made clear our strong preference for accession by a reunited island.

Cyprus

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the UK Government will ensure that there is no division of Cyprus as part of a settlement.

Denis MacShane: The Government welcome the UN's initiative to table a comprehensive proposal for a settlement to the Cyprus Problem.
	Our aim remains for a reunited Cyprus to accede to the EU, to be able to speak with one voice internationally and to have a single international legal personality. We believe the UN proposals achieve this.

Cyprus

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will visit Cyprus to discuss with the two communities the future of Cyprus and the EU.

Denis MacShane: Neither I, nor the Foreign Secretary, have plans to visit Cyprus in the immediate future. But we are in very close contact with all the parties involved. The Foreign Secretary and I met the Cypriot Foreign Minister last week in London; the Foreign Secretary is visiting Ankara this week (to follow up his and the Prime Minister's meetings with the new Turkish leaders in London on 20 November and contacts at the NATO ministerial meeting in Prague); and the UK special representative for Cyprus visited Nicosia for talks with key players from both sides on 21–22 November.
	The UK supports the UN Secretary-General's proposals for a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem. I urge both sides in Cyprus to make every effort to secure a settlement before the Copenhagen European Council on 12 December, at which key decisions on Cyprus' candidacy to the European Union will be taken.

Diego Garcia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what applications have been received from the USA to allow construction of new aircraft facilities on Diego Garcia; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK and US governments discussed improvements to US military facilities on Diego Garcia earlier this year. Work is underway on the construction of new aircraft facilities.

Diego Garcia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list landings on the Chagos Islands in each of the last five years that were not associated with US military activity on Diego Garcia.

Mike O'Brien: We do not keep records of all individual landings on the outer islands of the Chagos Archipelago. It would be impractical to attempt to do so given that the Archipelago covers over 50,000 square kilometres of ocean.

Iran

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the potential development of weapons of mass destruction in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with the American Administration and other governments on a wide range of non-proliferation issues, including in relation to Iran.
	The UK is committed to combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction wherever it may occur.

Israel

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Israel regarding the illegal construction of settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK Government considers settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace. We have consistently called on the Israeli Government to freeze all settlement activity, including the 'natural growth' of Israeli settlements, as recommended in the Mitchell Report. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv conveyed the Foreign Secretary's concerns expressed on 18 November in a press statement at reports of the Israeli Government considering extending settlements in Hebron to Prime Minister Sharon on 18 November.
	I raised settlement activity with the Israeli Ambassador on 5 November, as did a Foreign Office official on 20 November.

Israel

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in reviving negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Mike O'Brien: Revival of these negotiations may best be achieved through determined implementation, by the parties and international community, of the roadmap now being finalised by the Quartet. We expect its publication in December and will do all we can to support its immediate implementation, leading to a final and comprehensive settlement.

Leg Irons

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures have been taken to prevent the export and manufacturing of leg irons in the UK.

Mike O'Brien: As my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary, announced on 28 July 1997 Official Report, column 65W, there is a complete ban on the export or transhipment from the UK of leg-irons, gang chains and shackles designed for the restraint of a human being. The necessary amendment to the Export of Goods Control Order came into force in December 1997.
	The manufacture of leg-irons is not prohibited in the United Kingdom.

Missile Stocks

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report he has received regarding the quantities of missile material stocks held by (a) each of the four nuclear weapons states party to the non-proliferation treaty, (b) Israel, (c) India, (d) Pakistan, (e) Democratic People's Republic of Korea and (f) Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: Any national analysis of quantities of missile stocks would be heavily based on intelligence assessments. Under exemption l(a) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not Government policy to publish such information.
	There are, however, unofficial assessments available from non-governmental sources, including the military balance produced by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Although the report by IISS will not have had access to Government information.
	With regard to Iraq, the most reliable source of information on missile stocks remains the final report from UNSCOM, published in 1999.

National Missile Defence

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent approaches by the USA to the Government concerning preparation for participation in National Missile Defence.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 7 November Official Report, column 630W.

North Korea

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent admission by the Government of North Korea that they are in possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Mike O'Brien: North Korea has not to our knowledge explicitly stated that it possesses weapons of mass destruction. We understand that in bilateral US/North Korean discussions on 4 October North Korean officials admitted that they had been pursuing a covert programme for the enrichment of Uranium.
	The possession of nuclear weapons would be a breach of a number of North Korea's international obligations. On 17 October my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in press statement:
	XThis admission of a nuclear weapons programme is a serious violation of North Korea's commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, its safeguards agreement with the IAEA and the US/North Korea Agreed Framework.We are in contact with our international partners about the implications . . . World opinion is united in calling for North Korea to comply with its international obligations and to eliminate its nuclear weapons programme".

Pakistan

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan on the treatment of (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistani Government concerning the violence perpetrated against Christians and other minorities by Muslim extremists in Pakistan.

Mike O'Brien: We are deeply concerned about human rights violations against Christians and other minorities in Pakistan. On 15 July I raised our concerns directly with the Pakistani High Commissioner in London. Together with our EU partners, we also regularly raise our concerns with the Pakistani authorities in Islamabad. We will continue to take appropriate opportunities to urge Pakistan to pursue laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect and to protect Christians and other religious minorities against discrimination, intimidation and attacks.

Pakistan

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the Pakistan Government to (a) take tougher action against extremists and (b) protect religious minorities.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had substantive discussions with President Musharraf in Islamabad and the then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Inam ul Haque, and underlined the importance we attach to Pakistan's commitment to combat terrorism. We welcome the steps taken thus far by the Pakistani authorities to clamp down on extremists, including the banning of five groups, but remain deeply concerned about terrorist atrocities against Christian targets. Together with our EU partners, we will continue to urge Pakistan to intensify its efforts and provide better protection for Christians and other minorities.

Yemen

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Yemen regarding potential military intervention in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with the Government of Yemen, but officials have regular discussions with the Yemeni Government, including on Iraq.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what initiatives her Department is supporting in Afghanistan to help create alternative livelihoods for those growing opium poppies.

Clare Short: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Dr. Tonge) on 23 October 2002, Official Report, columns 319–20W.

Afghanistan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the level of aid being provided to Afghanistan by the British Government.

Clare Short: At the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan's reconstruction in January, the UK pledged £200 million over five years. We have recently increased our allocation for the current financial year to £65 million for both humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, of which we have already distributed £52 million. In addition to this the UK Government have also allocated £1.8 million from the Mines Action Programme to address the problem of landmines, and a further £18 million from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Security Sector Reform.

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the World Bank regarding the application for funds from the International Finance Corporation for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Clare Short: I have had no discussions with the World Bank about the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. No proposal for International Finance Corporation (IFC) support for the pipeline has yet been submitted to the IFC Board, of which the UK is a member. We understand that such a proposal is likely to be submitted in mid to late 2003, following completion of IFC processes for environmental and social appraisal. There may also be an informal board discussion of the project early in the new year.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with EU Ministers about trade rules with Ethiopia affecting (a) tariff and (b) EU farming subsidies, with regard to (i) coffee and (ii) other products.

Clare Short: At the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 18–19 November I took part in discussions, with fellow EU Ministers, about the current state of the international coffee market. At this meeting I reiterated, with reference to Ethiopia as a case in point, some of the challenges facing a number of commodity dependent countries. I highlighted the need to assist these countries by promoting economic diversification as well as by delivering on CAP reform.
	We recognise the damaging impact that trade-distorting subsidies have on developing countries agriculture sectors. At the Doha Ministerial meeting last year it was agreed that agriculture negotiations would aim to achieve Xsubstantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support". The UK fully supports these negotiations and is pressing for ambitious reform of the CAP to help the EU to participate effectively in the WTO negotiations.
	While there is some preferential trade access to the EU for developing countries, more needs to be done to reduce the tariffs that the EU currently applies to a range of agricultural and non-agricultural products that offer potential alternative export trade opportunities for these countries. In order to tackle these barriers, the Doha meeting agreed that we should reduce barriers to trade in all products and particularly tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariff escalation. To ensure these negotiations result in liberalisation that benefits the world's poor, we are working to make these commitments become a reality.
	Through our direct assistance programme we have worked with the private sector on a scoping study of opportunities and constraints relating to Ethiopia exporting horticultural produce to EU markets and are now planning some follow-up work.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she plans to have with EU Ministers with regard to delivering emergency aid to Ethiopia; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The situation in Ethiopia was discussed briefly at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on 18–19 November. It will be discussed in more detail at the next GAERC on 9–10 December. Ministers agreed that we needed to monitor developments closely. I will continue to raise the matter with EU Ministers when appropriate.

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many companies have signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Clare Short: The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative was announced by the Prime Minister at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002. At that initial stage, BP, Shell, Rio Tinto, BhP Billiton and Anglo-American committed to developing a framework for transparency in the extractive industries.
	Since then, we have drawn up a set of principles underpinning the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which we will use to bring more companies and governments on board. A growing number of non-UK based oil and mining companies, industry bodies and UK asset fund managers have expressed interest in joining the multi-stakeholder coalition to devise mechanisms to make transparency a reality.

Fair Trade

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is giving to the promotion of fair trade.

Clare Short: Through the Development Awareness Fund, DFID has provided £120,000 to the Fairtrade Foundation (FTF) over three years (2001–03) in support of its efforts to target new consumers through its annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaigns. The Fortnight is designed to highlight the positive developmental impacts of fair trade and the range of fair trade products on offer.
	DFID is also funding a project that addresses a recognised bottleneck within fair trade—namely the limited number of products for which international fair trade standards exist. This project (at a total cost of £300,000) aims to develop five new product standards, secure the registration of 20 new producer groups and help bring an additional 20 new fair trade products to supermarket shelves over the next two years. The target is to increase the retail value of fair trade sales in the UK to over £100 million by 2004, and by so doing, extend the benefits of fair trade to a greater number of producers in developing countries. By expanding the scale of fair trade activities, the project also aims to secure a sustainable future for the FTF, so that its core operational costs (including the cost of subsequent product development) are fully funded from the income it receives from licensees.
	DFID's support to the FT movement is part of a broader programme to encourage wider adoption of ethical trading codes and standards by major transnational corporations, and continuing efforts to reform the international trading system.

Immunisation Programmes

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions her Department has had with the World Health Organisation regarding the availability of vaccinations for immunisation programmes in developing countries.

Clare Short: DFID and WHO are both board members of the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), which is a major international initiative to enhance access to vaccines and immunisation in developing countries. The issue of vaccine supply has been extensively discussed within this forum. DFID has also held talks with Unicef, who are key players in the issue of vaccine procurement.

Overseas Aid

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the US Government calling for them to raise overseas development assistant to 0.7 per cent. of GNI.

Clare Short: I have made clear on many occasions to our own Government, to the USA and other developed countries, the need for donors to work towards the 0.7 per cent. target of official development assistance as a proportion of GNI. The Government itself has committed, in the Comprehensive Spending Review, to reaching a ratio of 0.4 per cent. by financial year 2006–07. I welcome the establishment by the USA of the Millennium Challenge Account, which will increase US development assistance by 50 per cent. in cash terms by 2006. I hope that the USA will continue to expand its development assistance programmes towards the levels of ODA/GNI achieved by most other developed countries. US Assistance has the potential to make a very significant contribution towards the reduction of poverty in the world.

Public Private Partnership

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 11 July 2002, Official Report, column 451W, if she will list the alternative ways her Department is exploring to achieve the objective of the CDC Public Private Partnership.

Clare Short: I refer to my Written Statement about CDC, on 28 November 2002, Official Report, columns 36–38WS.

Southern Africa

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other aid the Government have given for the southern African crisis; when the contributions were made; what conditions were attached to such contributions; and what the recipient (i) countries and (ii) agencies were.

Clare Short: We have made the following commitments for the humanitarian crisis in southern Africa, since September 2001. In addition, we estimate that our contribution to commitments by the European Commission to date is approximately £21.42 million. No special conditions are attached to our contributions:
	
		
			 Date/country Description Total (£ million) 
		
		
			 September 2001   
			 Zimbabwe NGO feeding programme 4.0 
			 Zimbabwe WFP emergency appeal 3.5 
			 Malawi Targeted inputs programme 3.75 
			
			 January-May 2002   
			 Malawi NGO feeding programme 4.4 
			 Malawi Winter inputs programme 1.2 
			
			 June 2002   
			 Zimbabwe WFP regional emergency feeding operation 7.0 
			 Lesotho WFP regional emergency feeding operation 1.56 
			 Malawi WFP regional emergency feeding operation 5.0 
			 Swaziland WFP regional emergency feeding operation 0.25 
			 Zambia WFP regional emergency feeding operation 5.0 
			 Zambia NGO food for work programme 1.02 
			 Region WFP logistical support in Johannesburg regional hob, Lesotho and Zimbabwe 0.51 
			 Region SADC vulnerability assessments to improve targeting 0.2 
			 Region IFRC feeding HIV/AIDS affected people 2.5 
			 Region WHO regional health operation 0.13 
			 Malawi Targeted inputs programme 6.8 
			 Zimbabwe NGO agricultural inputs 5.0 
			 Zimbabwe WHO essential drugs and medicines 2.5 
			
			 September 2002   
			 Zimbabwe NGO feeding programme 16.0 
			 Malawi/region Nacala rail-link 4.1 
			 October 2002   
			 Zambia Agricultural recovery through NGOs and FAO 1.5 
			 Zambia Improved nutrition programme 1.2 
			 Zambia Support to the health sector 0.2 
			 Region OCHA southern African humanitarian information service 0.11 
			 Region Southern Africa humanitarian crisis unit for monitoring and liaison 0.5 
			 Lesotho Livelihoods recovery through agriculture programme 1.0 
			 Zimbabwe Epidemic preparedness 1.2 
			 Zimbabwe Improved nutrition programme 1.1 
			
			 November 2002   
			 Region SADC vulnerability assessments 0.2 
			 Zambia WFP EMOP 3.5 
			 Lesotho WFP EMOP 0.5 
			 Total since September 2001 Humanitarian assistance and recovery programmes 85.43

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to publish a country strategy paper on Sudan.

Clare Short: The UK has not had a development programme in Sudan for some years because of the on-going conflict. However, in line with progress made towards peace, we are now planning for a possible development programme in Sudan, to be implemented when there is a comprehensive agreement. This will be supported by the appropriate strategy document, drawn up after full consultation. In the first instance, this document may not be a full Country Assistance Plan, but an interim strategy, which would develop as our programme develops.

Zambia

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what help the Government is giving to Zambia to source non-GM food.

Clare Short: I have made clear to the Government of Zambia that I believe their decision on GM is ill advised and will make it more expensive and difficult to provide food to those who are starving in Zambia. We are nevertheless doing all we can to try to ensure that those in need are provided for.
	DFID has provided £8.5 million to the World Food Programme to source food for the humanitarian pipeline and plans to provide £0.7 million to NGOs for the procurement and distribution of supplementary nutritional food supplies.
	DFID's support to NGOs and International Organisations for conservation farming and drought recovery programmes will support the supply of non-GM food at the next harvest.

Zambia

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what analysis the Government has made of food availability in Zambia, in particular the availability of cassava; and whether the Government is supporting efforts to get such foods to areas affected by crop failures.

Clare Short: DFID has been working with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to determine the availability of food for humanitarian distribution to those in most need.
	Through its annual crop forecasts, GRZ has reported a surplus of cassava in the north where cassava is a major staple food for most communities. The redistribution of cassava to drought affected areas in the south is difficult for logistical, social and economic reasons. GRZ is using available funds to purchase surplus maize from the north rather than cassava, as this is the staple crop and preferred food for the south.
	DFID has provided £8.5 million to the WFP to source food imports into Zambia and is working closely with GRZ and WFP to improve the distribution of food stocks existing in the country.

Zimbabwe

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has for food aid aerial drops in Zimbabwe.

Clare Short: Aerial drops are very much a measure of last resort, with risks to all involved. Food cannot be targeted reliably, and it is an expensive option. We will continue to use and strengthen the distribution systems already in place, which are working well in very difficult conditions. One of the major problems in dealing with the Zimbabwe crises is that the World Food Programme appeal for Southern Africa is only 56 per cent. funded and there is not enough food to distribute.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Organisations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many educational sessions undertaken by arts organisations took place in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000, (c) 2000–01 and (d) 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: In 2001–02, arts organisations funded by the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards provided more than 200,000 education sessions and workshops for adults and children.
	In addition to this, from April 2002 we are investing £40 million in Creative Partnerships. This programme is bringing together schools and cultural institutions across 16 deprived areas of England, enabling young people and their teachers to work on sustained creative projects.
	There are no figures available for earlier years.

Public Service Broadcasting

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she has taken to ensure public service broadcasters sustain quality and range of output; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Communications White Paper affirmed the Government's commitment to maintaining the role of public service broadcasting in the digital age. The Communications Bill implements this commitment, by setting out a general public service broadcasting remit which applies to all public service broadcasters, including the BBC. It will also establish individual public service broadcasting remits for Channel 3, Channel 4 and Channel 5, combining specific obligations for each broadcaster with a general obligation to contribute to the overall public service remit. OFCOM will report on the fulfilment of the overall public service broadcasting remit no less frequently than every five years. OFCOM will have backstop powers to intervene, up to and including removal of freedom to self-regulate, should a licensed broadcaster fail to fulfil its individual remit, or its contribution to the overall remit.

Digital Television

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the impact of analogue switch-off on remote rural areas.

Kim Howells: The Government are committed to ensuring that terrestrial analogue broadcasting signals are maintained until: everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form can receive them on digital systems; switching to digital is an affordable option for the vast majority of people; and as a target indicator of affordability, 95 per cent. of consumers have access to digital equipment. The Digital Television Action Plan tasks the Government to determine and agree a target level of UK coverage for digital terrestrial public services post-switchover. We have consulted on this issue and are now considering our preferred spectrum planning option. Details of the consultation are available on the website: www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.

Digital Television

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will exempt those in remote rural areas from the licensing fee following analogue switch-off if they are unable to receive digital television.

Kim Howells: A television licence is required to install or use a television receiver to watch a television programme service on any platform. The licence fee is a payment for permission to receive television broadcasts and not for the service provided and is payable in full, irrespective of the use made of that service and the quality of reception. The Government have no plans to exempt viewers from the licence fee depending on the programme services available to them.

Film Industry

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work she did with the British film industry to implement a new joint-funded strategy for the development of the industry by April 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Following a comprehensive review of film policy in 1998, my Department set up the Film Council in April 2000 to act as the Government's expert adviser on film, and help develop a sustainable British film industry. In its relatively short life, the Film Council has already put in place a number of initiatives to help deliver its goals. We also set up the Skills Investment Fund, which is administered by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the audio-visual industries. All film productions in the UK are invited to contribute to the fund, which Skillset invests in training and skills development for the British film industry.

Heritage, Sport and Tourism

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what frameworks of support have been put in place by her Department for (a) heritage, (b) sport and (c) tourism; how much her Department has saved through these measures; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have conducted reviews of Sport England, English Heritage, and the British Tourist Authority as well as the framework of support for domestic tourism. We are now working with the bodies concerned on modernisation plans which should lead to improved value for money and significant savings, though it is not yet possible to quantify the savings. Plans for the reform of tourism structures were announced to Parliament on 13 May and 31 October 2002.

National Lottery

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures her Department has taken to ensure devolution of decision-making for National Lottery funding grants; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The National Lottery Act 1998 gave Lottery distributors powers to delegate funding decisions to a more local level and increasing use is being made of these powers. This Department is currently conducting a review of Lottery funding and published a consultation paper in July seeking views on how Lottery distribution could be improved and how more decisions about Lottery funding could be devolved to a local level. The Department is now looking closely at the responses received.

National Lottery

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the maximum level is of National Lottery grant funding that can be spent by regional bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There is no statutory maximum. The Community Fund has delegated its grant-making powers to regional committees up to a limit of £1 million per grant. The Arts Council of England has delegated decisions on projects under £100,000 to its regional offices. The Heritage Lottery Fund delegates decisions to regional committees for award grants up to £1 million. Awards for All, the cross distributor awards programme supported by the good causes of heritage, arts, sports charities and the New Opportunities Fund has regional committees which make grant decisions up to a maximum award value of £5,000.

National Lottery

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery grant funding was spent by (a) region and (b) regional body in the UK in (i) 1998–99, (ii) 1999–2000, (iii) 2000–01 and (iv) 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The following table sets out the total amount of Lottery funding awarded to each of the English regions and to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the relevant years. This is taken from the Department's awards database which is based on information provided by Lottery distributors.
	My Department does not hold information about what proportion of this amount was awarded at a regional level.
	
		Lottery Award Regional Totals -- £
		
			 Region 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 
		
		
			 East Midlands 40,805,628 40,888,110 67,376,238 70,266,135 
			 Eastern 51,583,669 48,911,292 53,965,761 64,706,603 
			 London 274,503,707 102,365,945 162,537,615 133,259,638 
			 North East 48,989,336 99,211,191 46,893,035 60,494,311 
			 North West 120,174,482 185,009,505 118,337,247 81,415,407 
			 South East 98,523,440 78,058,630 98,869,911 90,404,696 
			 South West 79,430,052 63,224,137 75,996,544 76,260,409 
			 West Midlands 72,255,440 70,975,613 69,067,417 61,539,810 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 62,856,278 56,637,836 58,742,145 125,908,578 
			 Northern Ireland 50,125,751 53,397,051 42,202,885 30,769,992 
			 Scotland 104,722,477 122,940,815 87,481,599 136,634,195 
			 Wales 64,110,173 82,798,156 63,164,837 62,103,710

National Lottery

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of distributing bodies' strategic plans for National Lottery funding on (a) capital and revenue schemes and (b) variations in regions of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Distributors were asked to indicate in their recently published strategic plans what proportion of overall awards were likely to be capital and what revenue, and to indicate levels of funding to be allocated to country, regional or local level. Distributors are asked to evaluate their achievements against the objectives set out in the plans.
	These issues are also addressed in the consultation paper published by the Secretary of State on 29 July, and will be considered as part of the Review of Lottery funding.

National Lottery

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 26 November, reference 83302, how many ex-servicemen's welfare organisations in West Sussex applied for National Lottery funding this year.

Richard Caborn: The Community Fund is not aware of any such application.

Museums

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of museums' (a) collections care and (b) public access in each year since 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The museums and galleries sponsored by my Department take very seriously the duty of care for collection items in their ownership. This is reflected in the increasing percentage of collection items which are stored in the correct environmental conditions—rising from an average of 74 per cent. in 1998–99 to 78 per cent. in 2001–02. Similarly, the museums and galleries are making ever greater efforts towards heightening public accessibility—both actual and virtual—to their collections. The average percent of time open at the museums and galleries has risen from 56 per cent. in 1998–99 to 61 per cent. in 2001–02, and the number of collection items which are able to be viewed online has increased from an average of 4 per cent. in 1998–99 to 31 per cent. in 2001–02.
	The following table shows data for each year between 1998–99 and 2001–02 for each of these areas across those museums and galleries sponsored by my Department.
	
		
			  1998 to 1999 1999 to 2000 2000 to 2001 2001 to2002 
		
		
			 Average percentage of collection items stored in the correct environmental conditions 74 74 76 78 
			 Average percentage of time open 56 59 60 61 
			 Average percentage of collection internet accessible 4 14 22 31

Museums

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) others visited each major national museum funded by her Department in (i) 1998–99, (ii) 1999–2000, (iii) 2000–01 and (iv) 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Between 1998–99 and 2001–02, visitors in each of the three categories specified to all those museums and galleries sponsored by my Department have increased by: 31 per cent. for children; 32 per cent. for over 60s and 27 per cent. for others. The position for the major museums and galleries as requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Institution 1998 to 1999 1999 to 2000 2000 to 2001 2001 to 2002 
		
		
			 British Museum a) 630,000 b) 315,000 c) 3,555,000 a) 616,000 b) 308,000 c) 3,476,000 a) 656,309 b) 323,137 c) 3,708,474 a) 671,505 b) 335,750 c) 3,802,745  
			 Imperial War Museum a) 352,347 b) 156,792 c) 864,964 a) 359,2 15 b) 145,757 c) 887,821 a) 398,849 
			 b) 194,046 c)1,015,919 a) 424,372 
			 b) 174,594 
			 c) 1,008,963  
			 National Gallery a) 400,000 
			 b) 625,000 c)3,275,000 a) 398,129 
			 b) 655,000 
			 c) 3,446,871 a) 410,000 
			 b) 626,000 
			 c)3,744,000 a) 461,000 
			 b) 528,000 
			 c) 3,870,000 
			 National Maritime Museum a) 136,367 
			 b) 33,743 
			 c)311,928 a) 270,306 
			 b) 98,506 
			 c)499,169 a) 272,572 
			 b) 120,424 
			 c) 399,224 a) 330,760 
			 b) 137,322 
			 c) 529,926 
			 National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside a) 257,878 
			 b) not available 
			 c) 442,122 a) 238,000 
			 b) 69,000 
			 c) 349,000 a) 2 11, 000 
			 b) 69,000 
			 c) 331,000 a) 246,371 
			 b) 118,129 
			 c) 458, 190 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry a) 914,902 
			 b) 130,367 
			 c)1,117,731 a) 1,132,088 
			 b) 158,918 
			 c) 1,563,994 a) 1,075,032 
			 b) 231,000 
			 c) 1,519,481 a) 1,290,498 
			 b) 263,391 
			 c) 1,566,024 
			 Natural History Museum a) 628,205 
			 b) 35,897 
			 c) 1,130,768 a) 585,389 
			 b) 43,182 
			 c)1,118,288 a) 562,165 
			 b) 79,767 
			 c) 1,049,068 a) 693,595 
			 b) 97,625 
			 c) 1,405,346 
			 Tate a) 394,359 
			 b) 273,017 
			 c) 2,366,151 a) 289,720 
			 b) 241,209 
			 c) 1,951,593 a) 961, 450 
			 b) 839,551 
			 c) 4,932,690 a) 767,609 
			 b) 552,156 
			 c) 4,190,635 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum a) 215,097 
			 b) 126,478 
			 c) 1,118,345 a) 202,894 
			 b) 89,614 
			 c) 986,622 a) 216,827 
			 b) 117,044 
			 c) 1,048,208 a) 291,406 
			 b) 249, 192 
			 c) 1,318,023 
		
	
	a) number of children
	b) number of over 60s
	c) others
	Note:
	'Major' has been defined as those museums and galleries in recept of £10 million or more grant in aid of the current financial year.

Museums

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of her Department's efficiency review of national museums and galleries; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Efficiency Review of national museums and galleries sponsored by my Department, and which was undertaken in 1999–2000, has been instrumental in improving the quality of performance measures included in the funding agreements that my Department negotiates with its sponsored museums and galleries, and in the development and refinement of targets for each museum and gallery. Through the funding agreements my Department is better able to assess the performance of sponsored museums and galleries in the delivery of key Government priorities.

National Stadium

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the Wembley project and the funding programme for the project.

Richard Caborn: Financial close on the Football Association's English National Stadium project at Wembley was achieved on 26 September and demolition of the existing stadium commenced on 30 September. Full details of the National Stadium project's costs and funding are set out in the final report of the English National Stadium Review led by Patrick Carter, copies of which were placed in the House Library on 16 October and which can be downloaded from my Department's website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/sport/.

Art (New Opportunities)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new opportunities to experience the arts were introduced in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000, (c) 2000–01 and (d) 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have contacted the Arts Council of England to request the information required, and my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for the Arts will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of her letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

Performing Arts

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new visitors attended the performing arts in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000, (c) 2000–01 and (d) 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have contacted the Arts Council of England to request the information required, and my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for the Arts will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of her letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

Sports Budget

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the Department's Exchequer budget for sport and related projects was in each of the last three years; how much underspend there was in the Exchequer budget; and how much funding was carried over under end-year flexibility arrangements.

Richard Caborn: The information the hon. Gentleman requested is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			  Budget Spend Underspend 
		
		
			 1999–2000 51,958 51,593 365 
			 2000–01 52,609 52,571 38 
			 2001–02 68,829 63,898 4,931 
		
	
	Since 2000–01 the Department has also jointly provided funding for Spaces for Sport and Art.
	The Department's contribution is as follows:
	
		£000 
		
			 Year Budget Spend Underspend 
		
		
			 2000–01 15,000 13 14,987 
			 2001–02 60,000 579 59,421 
		
	
	Amounts eligible for End Year Flexibility (EYF) carry forward are based on unspent Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) provision less, where appropriate, DEL Reserve claims agreed during the course of the year. Resource underspend from 1999–2000 and 2000–01 was carried forward in full; but as published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper 2001–02 (CM5574) the Department's Resource EYF carry forward from that year, other than for administration costs, is nil. However, the Department is covering UK Sport and Sport England's Resource underspend from current year provision.
	All the Department's unspent Capital DEL is available to carry forward. This includes Spaces for Sport and Art underspend.

Tourism

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of her Department's promotion of quality tourism development which (a) is economically, environmentally and socially sustainable and (b) supports the Government's employment objectives; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Good quality accommodation, attractions and service are all vital pre-requisites for a flourishing, sustainable tourism industry. The existing accommodation quality assurance schemes are good but have insufficient impact on the consumer, and so we intend shortly to commission a review of quality to address that. We are already pursuing our Fitness for Purpose initiative to tackle quality issues at less satisfactory premises, to provide assurance to customers that sub-standard accommodation will not be tolerated. We are also working with other Departments on establishing a Sector Skills Council for the tourism, hospitality and leisure sector, and in increasing the number of New Deal clients who find work in the hospitality industry. This will help build a more positive image of the sector and attract and retain good quality staff.

Underwater Archaeology

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures her Department has taken to transfer responsibility for underwater archaeology; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The National Heritage Act 2002 extended English Heritage's powers, with effect from 1 July 2002, to include ancient monuments in, on, or under the seabed within the seaward limits of the UK territorial waters adjacent to England and gives English Heritage powers to provide assistance in relation to wrecks protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 which are situated within the seaward limits of UK territorial waters adjacent to England.
	Section 3 of the National Heritage Act 2002 gives the Secretary of State power to direct English Heritage to exercise administrative functions on her behalf in relation to ancient monuments in, on or under the seabed within the seaward limits of the UK territorial waters. DCMS is in the process of drafting directions, in consultation with Historic Scotland, Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments, the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland and English Heritage. Formal transfer of responsibility is expected to take place shortly.

NORTHERN IRELAND

IFI/Richardsons Plant

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he plans to investigate the closure of the IFI/Richardsons Plant in Belfast; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I have taken a keen interest in the situation and have asked Invest NI to work with the liquidator to try to identify an investor for the Belfast factory. I have also met with representatives of the shareholders, the Irish Government and ICI, to stress the need for the Belfast workers to be treated in a fair and equitable manner following the closure and to secure their entitlements. In addition, officials from the Department for Employment and Learning have been in close contact with the Belfast employees to ensure that they are kept fully aware of their entitlements.

Asbestos

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the extent of asbestos used in the construction of school buildings.

Jane Kennedy: At this time full details of schools buildings that have asbestos are not available. However, in accordance with the new Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (which come into force in 2004), Education and Library Boards will be undertaking a phased programme of audits across the schools' estate to determine the extent of asbestos in schools and other premises.

Belfast City Hospital

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he has taken to ensure there are enough specialised nursing staff in the neurology department of the Belfast city hospital.

Des Browne: The Royal hospitals trust manages neurology services with a limited service provided to the outpatient department of the Belfast city hospital. This includes specific clinics for multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and a muscle clinic.
	£300,000 has been provided from Priorities for Action moneys to support regional neurology services throughout NI and this included £25,000 for a specialist epilepsy nurse for outpatient activity.
	Also included was a sum of £28,000 to support six outpatient clinics-two in NHSSB, two in SHSSB and two in EHSSB.
	A sum of £100,000 was recently allocated to support multiple sclerosis nursing infrastructure in NI.

Children's Commissioner

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will lay before Parliament draft legislation for (a) the establishment of a Children's Commissioner in Northern Ireland and (b) housing.

Paul Murphy: A draft Housing Support Services Order was laid on 15 November. It is expected that draft Orders on a Commissioner for Children and Young People and on Housing should be laid early in the New Year.

Down Lisburn Trust (Dermatology)

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (a) how many people are waiting for an appointment for the dermatology clinic in the Down Lisburn trust; (b) what the average waiting time for an appointment is; (c) what the longest time an individual has waited for an appointment is; and (d) what further measures will be taken to reduce waiting times for an appointment with the dermatologists in the trust.

Des Browne: The information is as follows:
	(a) 654 patients are waiting for an appointment at the dermatology clinics in Down Lisburn trust.
	(b) It is not possible to provide an average waiting time for appointment as this depends on the clinical priority of the patient. However, urgent cases are normally seen within six weeks of referral.
	(c) The longest time an individual has waited for an appointment is two years.
	(d) A number of measures are being taken to improve dermatology services in the Down Lisburn trust. These include the monitoring and redistribution of patients on consultants' waiting lists; the setting up of a dermatology sub-group of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board Cancer Implementation Group; and a current review of consultant workloads and waiting lists across the board area.

Executive Programme Funds

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how Executive Programme Funds will be administered following the suspension of devolved institutions in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The Executive Programme Funds will continue to be administered in accordance with the procedures previously agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive. There are no plans to change the established arrangements.

Fire Service

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who will be responsible during direct rule for deciding the proportion or level of contribution from Northern Ireland rates for the Fire Service.

Ian Pearson: In Northern Ireland the Regional Rate, for which the Department of Finance and Personnel is responsible, is not dedicated to specific services. There is no fixed amount in the rates that can be identified as contributing directly towards the cost of providing particular services such as the fire service.

Fire Service

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the institutional relationship of the employers' side of the negotiating body for Fire Service personnel within Northern Ireland with the employers' side of the negotiating body involved in the Fire Brigade dispute.

Des Browne: The Joint Standing Sub Committee (JSSC) of the National Joint Council is the negotiating body directly involved in the current dispute. A Member of the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland has observer status during the JSSC Employers discussions, but is not involved in the direct negotiations with the FBU.

Fire Service

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who constitutes the employers' side of the negotiating machinery for the Fire Service of Northern Ireland; and who appoints them.

Des Browne: The Fire Authority for Northern Ireland have two seats on the National Joint Council. The Fire Authority does not have seats on the Joint Standing Sub Committee, which negotiates pay and conditions of service.
	The Fire Authority for Northern Ireland representatives are elected by the Board at the Authority's Annual General Meeting. The current representatives are Mrs. Rosemary Craig and Professor James Shields.

Hospital Services (Belfast)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what work has been carried out to assess the change in demand for services at the Belfast City and Royal Victoria hospitals if the proposals to downgrade services at Whiteabbey and the Mater hospitals in North Belfast are proceeded with.

Des Browne: The proposals set out in the consultation paper. XDeveloping Better Services: Modernising Hospitals and Reforming Structures", were based on a preliminary analysis of the current levels of demand and an assessment of the most effective profile of services to ensure safe services and improved outcomes in the future. Following consideration of the responses to the consultation paper, there will be a detailed assessment of the capacity implications of the decisions which I will then be taking.

Hospital Services (Belfast)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure the retention of accident and emergency care at Whiteabbey hospital in North Belfast.

Des Browne: The Department is currently considering the responses to the proposals in the consultation paper, XDeveloping Better Services: Modernising Hospitals and Reforming Structures", which included proposals for future services at Whiteabbey hospital. I hope to reach final decisions on the proposals for modernising hospitals in January.

Planning Applications

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to Planning Applications A/1999/0879/0, A/2001/0661/RM and A/2002/0167/RM, for what reason the Planning Service in Northern Ireland did not act to require this new development to comply with original planning permission guidelines as far as it impinges on the rights and privacy of the existing residents.

Angela Smith: An Outline Planning Application for 2 Detached Dwellings at the rear of 4 Steelstown Road, Londonderry was received by the Department on 12 November 1999. Planning applications may be in outline form, where the general principle of development is being tested and where full details of development are submitted at a later date by way of a Reserved Matters Application; or in the form of a full application where full details of siting, design, external appearance, means of access and landscaping are submitted. This Outline Planning application was approved on 9 March 2000.
	A Reserved Matters Application was received on 12 June 2001. A Reserved Matters Application is a detailed proposal where the full details of siting, design, external appearance, means of access and landscaping are submitted. This application was approved on 5 February 2002, with a condition that the existing mature trees on the site boundary be retained. There were further conditions regarding planting proposals.
	In early February the Department became aware that work had commenced on site which was not strictly in accordance with the planning approval. A further reserved matters application was received on the 19 February 2002. Following discussions between planning officials, the developer and local residents further revisions to the plans were received on the 28 May 2002 which accurately reflected the detail of the development that had occurred.
	Planning Service is satisfied that the development, as built, is acceptable in planning terms. As you are aware the Planning Service brought the application to Derry City Council on 5 November 2002 with an opinion to approve. Planning Service agreed that a further period of 10 days would be allowed for any further representations to be made.
	Further representations have, since been received and no decision will be made until these representations have been fully and carefully considered

Planning Applications

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding his policy on protecting the rights of existing residents when the Planning Service are considering granting planning approval for new housing developments.

Andrew Smith: When considering proposals for new housing development in existing residential areas, the Planning Service of the Department of the Environment pays particular attention to their potential impact on the neighbourhood to ensure that appreciable harm is not caused by such development to the amenities enjoyed by existing residents and to the existing character and environmental quality of the area.
	Since the introduction of the Quality Initiative in 1996 to promote better quality and more sustainable housing development, a comprehensive range of policy and guidance documents has been put in place to raise the quality of new residential development generally, with particular attention being paid to ensuring that the drive to promote more housing in existing urban areas does not lead to any significantdiminution of the quality of life in established residential areas.
	As the hon. Gentleman is aware, the Regional Development Strategy (RDS) published in September 2001 provides the overarching strategic framework for the formulation of development plans and planning policy in Northern Ireland.
	In support of urban renaissance and more sustainable forms of development, the RDS sets an ambitious regional target of 60 per cent. for the share of urban housing to be provided within urban limits, and seeks to encourage an increase in the density of urban housing appropriate in scale and design to the cities and towns of Northern Ireland.
	However, the RDS stresses that the aim of achieving an overall increase in town densities must not be interpreted as a broad mandate to try and force overdeveloped and unsympathetic housing schemes into established residential areas. In such areas the overriding objective has to be to avoid any significant erosion of the environmental quality, amenity and privacy enjoyed by existing residents.
	In established residential areas, the RDS encourages harmonious housing schemes of various densities in accordance with a local community focused approach sensitive in design terms to the people living in the existing neighbourhood, taking account of the Strategy's Local Development Guidelines and Planning Policy Statement 7 Quality Residential Environments.
	Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS 7), Quality Residential Environment published in June 2001, clearly states that in established residential areas, proposals for housing development will not be permitted where they would result in unacceptable damage to the local character, environmental quality or residential amenity of these areas. All proposals for residential development are expected to take full account of the surrounding context, particularly those proposals for infill housing, backland development or redevelopment schemes in established residential areas. PPS 7 points out that in such areas great care is needed to ensure that the individual orcumulative effects of such development proposals do not significantly erode character and amenity, for example by inappropriate design or overdevelopment. The Department will need to be satisfied in considering such proposals that the design and layout will not create conflict with adjacent housing areas and that there is no unacceptable adverse effect on existing or proposed properties in terms ofoverlooking, loss of light, overshadowing, noise or other disturbance.
	The Department's Supplementary Planning Guidance, 'Creating Places—achieving quality in residential developments' (May 2000) and Development Control Advice Note 8 'Housing in Existing Urban Areas' (June 2002), provides detailed design advice and guidelines intended to amplify and clarify policy guidance wherenecessary. Both documents emphasise the importance of a design-led approach to create imaginative, safe and attractive housing. In existing urban areas this embraces the philosophy of working with context, 'fitting' development in with the prevailing character and appearance of the neighbourhood and ensuring that infill, backland and redevelopment proposals are successfully integrated with existing housing without appreciable harm to the character and amenity their residents currently enjoy.
	The above documents provide clear and robust policies and guidance for developers in formulating development proposals for housing in established residential areas and clearly set out the criteria under which such proposals will be assessed by the Planning Service. The Planning Service will seek whatever additional information is necessary to properly assess and determine such planning applications, the overall objective being that high quality and sustainable housing can be provided in existing residential areas without detriment to the residents of those areas.

MV Princess Victoria

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proposals the Northern Ireland Office has to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Princess Victoria off the coast of County Antrim.

Angela Smith: The Department for Regional Development has agreed outline arrangements for a small commemorative event at Donaghadee Harbour where survivors were landed by the local lifeboat. Ards Borough Council will erect a memorial plaque adjacent to the RNLI berth and the Department plans to erect a flagpole resembling the foremast of the MV Princess Victoria. These events will complement local church services, the laying of wreaths at sea by the Donaghadee and Campbeltown lifeboats and a commemorative event planned by Larne Borough Council, Larne being the port to which the MV Princess Victoria was steaming when she sank.

Regional Museums

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the joint response from the Department for the Environment and Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to the Review of Regional Museums; and when he will issue a statement on this matter.

Angela Smith: Officials in the Departments of Environment and Culture, Arts and Leisure are currently working on a joint response to the Local Museums and Heritage Review.
	I have asked that the joint response should be presented to me as quickly as possible, after which I want to decide how to proceed.

Telecommunications Mast

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to remove the disused telecommunications mast located on property at Killinchy Primary School.

Jane Kennedy: I understand from the South-Eastern Education and Library Board that it is now its policy not to have telecommunication masts on school property. The contract for the mast at Killinchy Primary School was terminated but, despite repeated requests, the owners have so far failed to have the mast removed. The Board has recently been advised that, contrary to previous assurances, the equipment is still active. The Board is now proposing to initiate immediate legal action to compel the owners to remove the mast.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Children's Fund Projects

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the mental health effects on children of projects funded by the Children's Fund.

John Denham: The latest available statistics show that of the 584 Children's Fund services funded during April–June 2002 in Wave 1 areas, 73 services were explicitly targeted at children with mental health difficulties. Of these 73 services, 44 provided statistics on the number of children they had regularly supported over this quarter—with an average of 85 children regularly supported in each service.
	The CYPU have not so far conducted an assessment of the mental health effects on children of projects funded by the Children's Fund. However, as part of the national evaluation, there will be an assessment of impact of the Children's Fund on a number of key outcomes, including impacts on children's mental health. Furthermore, each of the 149 partnerships in England are allowed to conduct their own local evaluations, and another task of the national evaluation will be to draw together key findings from these local evaluations, including any findings in relation to impacts on mental health.

Adult Learning

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much financial support the Government has given, in the past three years, for initiatives to promote lifelong learning and adult education to (a) the BBC, (b) ITV companies, (c) Channel 4, (d) Channel 5 and (e) independent local radio stations.

Margaret Hodge: The direct spending of my Department over the last three years to promote lifelong learning and adult education has been:
	
		£000 
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 BBC 93 64 123 
			 ITV companies 915 4,994 7,767 
			 Channel 4 336 2,037 3,747 
			 Channel 5 96 562 1,113 
			 Independent local radio stations — — — 
		
	
	These figures do not include promotional activity undertaken by Non Departmental Public Bodies as we hold no central records of their activity in this area.

Advanced School Programme

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the New Advanced School programme for secondary schools and how it differs from the Beacon School programme; and whether existing beacon schools will automatically transfer to advanced school status.

David Miliband: The proposed Advanced schools programme intends to build on the success of the Beacon programme by ensuring the further development of enhanced collaborative partnerships and innovative practice. Guidance was posted on the Diversity website on 23 October setting out the scheme and a notice inviting applications was placed in the November issue of Spectrum, a departmental information source for schools.
	It is our intention that any existing secondary Beacon school would be able to apply to transfer to the new programme but would need to meet the criteria in the same way as any other school. The Beacon programme will be phased out in the secondary sector by 2005. Those secondary schools due to renew their status from September 2003 will be given the opportunity to do so until August 2004.

Anti-Semitism

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to deal with anti-Semitism on university campuses and in student unions; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Speech, and behaviour generally, whether on campus or elsewhere, must be within the requirements of the law, including common law. Common law provides a remedy against actions likely to cause a breach of the peace. Further, the Public Order Act 1986 makes certain types of unlawful speech a criminal offence. This includes the offences of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour intended or likely to stir up racial hatred. The Anti- Terrorism, Crime and Security Act introduced last year increased the maximum penalty for inciting racial hatred from two years to seven years imprisonment. It also extended racially aggravated offences to cover offences aggravated by religious hostility.
	Chief Constables are responsible for maintaining law and order on campus and elsewhere. They will, of course, co-operate with university Vice-Chancellors and governing bodies to do so.
	Under the Education Act 1994, the governing body of an higher education institution is responsible for taking such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that any students' union operates in a fair and democratic manner.
	The Government is committed to tackling anti-Semitism and racism in Britain wherever it exists. We will continue to work closely with the police, the Community Security Trust and community leaders to do so.

Asylum Seekers (Education)

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment his Department as made of the implications of an education separate from their local community schools for asylum seeker children;
	(2)  what systems will be put in place to ensure that the standard of education in accommodation centres for asylum seekers will be equivalent to those in mainstream schools;
	(3)  what representations he has received from teaching professionals on the proposed education plans in accommodation centres for asylum seekers.

Stephen Twigg: The Government's policy to educate the children of some destitute asylum seekers within accommodation centres provides an opportunity to deliver a specialised and rich curriculum tailored to the needs of the children within a safe environment. It also provides a good induction into the British education system for those who will remain and a valuable experience for those who will not.
	We are working closely with Home Office colleagues to ensure this and we have been talking to the Local Government Association and LEAs in the areas where accommodation centres are planned. The education provision in the accommodation centres will be inspected by Ofsted against similar criteria to those used in a mainstream school to ensure that the standard is equivalent.
	Baroness Ashton of Upholland met with representatives of the NASUWT and NUT on 4 November and has since received a letter from the NASUWT taking up her offer to continue discussions to ensure effective implementation of the education provisions of the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act.

Breakfast Clubs

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial support his Department has given to breakfast clubs in schools; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Breakfast clubs are available in many schools as part of study support or child care provision. They can provide learning opportunities for pupils, promote healthy eating, and help working parents by offering a safe and stimulating environment for their children. In XInvestment for Reform" we said that by 2006 all schools should be providing breakfast clubs or other forms of study support.
	My Department assists breakfast clubs primarily through the Standards Fund grant for study support: £75 million in 2002–03. Schools can fund them too from programmes such as the Pupil Learning Credits pilot, child care, or Education Action Zones. Other Government Departments, the New Opportunities Fund, voluntary organisations and commercial sponsors also support them. Education Extra, a national charity for out-of-school-hours learning grant-aided by DfES, runs a Breakfast Club Award Scheme sponsored by Kellogg's and helps with clubs' setting-up costs.

Children and Young Persons Unit

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what projects he is funding within his Children and Young Persons Unit; whether these projects are on time and on budget; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 21 November 2002
	A full list of the individual projects funded by the Unit could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Children and Young People's Unit has a total budget of £850 million for the period 2001–02 to 2005–06. The bulk of the Unit's funding goes towards a range of local projects distributed as follows:
	(a) Children's Fund Programmes bringing together local voluntary organisations, statutory agencies, community and faith groups, children and young people and their families, to deliver a range of locally co-ordinated preventive services for 5–13 year olds at risk.
	(b) the Local Network Fund for Children and Young People enabling community groups to provide activities and services for children and young people experiencing poverty and lack of opportunity.
	(c) the Identification, Referral and Tracking project, in the context of work with local authorities on Local Preventive Strategies, to support all local authorities in developing systems to ensure that children and young people at risk do not fall through the gaps in services.
	(d) smaller scale initiatives for specific purposes, such as recent development work to test approaches to preventing young people running away and supporting them when they do; and community cohesion work with children from seven cities around the country to discuss what it means to be British.
	The Unit also holds a small central budget for research and evaluation requirements, communications and the effective dissemination of emerging good practice.
	Projects within the Unit are being rolled out at a pace which will enable them to spend their budgets in full by 2005–06.

Congestion Charging

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated cost is to his Department of the Central London Road User Charging Scheme for (a) 17 February 2003 to 31 March 2003, and (b) 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 19 November 2002
	Any additional costs to my Department as a result of the congestion charging scheme will be just one element within wider costs which have to be met from budgets for official travel and other costs.

Deaf Children (Education)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing children can access the deaf accommodation model of inclusion in education;
	(2)  what steps are being taken on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing children to ensure that they are placed in mainstream schools with a significant deaf peer group.

Stephen Twigg: Local education authorities make provision for deaf and hearing impaired children in a range of settings appropriate to their own needs and preferences and the preferences of their parents. Placement can be in a mainstream class, with or without a learning resource base for the deaf and hearing impaired, a maintained special school, or an independent or non-maintained special school.
	Specialist teachers and support staff play a key role in ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils. The law requires specialist teachers of the deaf to have an additional qualification equivalent to the Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People Stage 1 qualification. Tools such as the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education's Index for Inclusion, which was sent to all schools in April 2000, can be used to identify barriers to learning and participation. Early indications are that schools adopting this sort of approach have seen standards rise for all their pupils.
	Suitable accommodation must be available. The Department has already published Building Bulletin 94, Inclusive School Design, which provides guidance on accommodating pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools. Consultations are currently taking place on a further building bulletin focusing on the acoustic design of schools.

Degrees

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with private institutions or organisations on the award of degrees;
	(2)  what recent representations he has had from private organisations on the award of degrees.

Margaret Hodge: I have had no meetings or discussions with private institutions or organisations on the award of degrees. The Privy Council is responsible for the granting of degree awarding powers and I can confirm that they have received applications from private organisations for the granting of degree awarding powers which are currently being considered under the Quality Assurance Agency's process of scrutiny.

Early School Leavers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of early school leavers was in England in the last year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: holding answer 25 November 2002
	By law, children in England should not leave full-time education in school until the last Friday in June in the school year in which a child reaches 16. Figures are not available centrally on those that do leave early, for whatever reason. Some indication can be obtained by comparing pupil numbers from the same cohort at ages 14 and 15 in successive Annual Schools Censuses. The difference between the numbers of pupils aged 14 in 2001 and aged 15 in 2002 registered at all schools in England as shown by the Department's Annual Schools' Census was 9,600—a fall of 1.6 per cent. However, this comparison will be affected by the net impact of population migration, differences in the numbers of pupils educated other than at school and those on remand or in Young Offenders institutions; it will also exclude pupils leaving school after the Census date (in January) but before the regulations entitle them to do so (in June).

Education Funding

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the new system for funding schools will require local LEAs to spend at SSA level; whether it will link the ACA factor to real salary costs in schools; and whether it will narrow the funding gap between the highest and lowest funded schools.

David Miliband: LEAs cannot be required to spend at the level of their assessment. We will expect them to take that level into account, but our principal expectation will be that they should pass on increases in schools funding to their schools budgets. The top up for Area Costs is designed to take account of pay costs and also the extra funding needed for recruitment and retention. The new system will be based on evidence of need.

Education Funding

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on when the disparity in funding per student in higher and further education will be ended.

Margaret Hodge: We have no plans to equalise unit funding per student for Higher Education and Further Education. Different funding levels reflect the differences between the costs of higher education and further education courses. We have announced significant additional resources for FE over the next three years to meet the needs of the sector and will be setting out our strategy and the outcomes of the spending review for HE in January.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people have received the education maintenance allowance in north-east Lincolnshire.

Margaret Hodge: The number of students in North East Lincolnshire receiving an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in each academic year, since the pilot began, is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Academic year Number of students receiving EMA payments 
		
		
			 2000–01 733 
			 2001–02 (9)1,344 
			 2002–03 (9)1,041 
		
	
	(9) Includes students who started courses in the previous year.

Exclusions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils have been excluded from (a) state secondary schools and (b) state primary schools in (i) the Ribble Valley and Fulwood, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the north-west of England in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: The information on permanent exclusions is shown in the following table. Information on fixed term exclusions is not held centrally.
	
		Number of permanent exclusions in maintained primary and secondary schools(10)
		
			  1996–97  
			  Maintained primary Maintained secondary  
			  Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) 
		
		
			 Ribble Valley 1 0.01 25 0.33 
			 Lancashire 42 0.03 353 0.40 
			 North West 234 0.03 1,649 0.38 
			 England 1,573 0.04 10,463 0.34 
		
	
	
		
			   1997–98  
			   Maintained primary  Maintained secondary  
			  Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) 
		
		
			 Ribble Valley 1 0.01 21 0.27 
			 Lancashire 43 0.04 240 0.33 
			 North West 265 0.04 1,530 0.34 
			 England 1,539 0.03 10,187 0.33 
		
	
	
		
			   1998–99  
			   Maintained primary  Maintained secondary  
			  Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) 
		
		
			 Ribble Valley 0 0.0 14 0.18 
			 Lancashire 32 0.03 209 0.29 
			 North West 225 0.03 1,324 0.29 
			 England 1,366 0.03 8,636 0.28 
		
	
	
		
			   1999–2000  
			   Maintained primary  Maintained secondary  
			  Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) 
		
		
			 Ribble Valley 1 0.01 6 0.07 
			 Lancashire 19 0.02 144 0.19 
			 North West(12) 194 0.03 1,072 0.24 
			 England(12) 1,226 0.03 6,713 0.21 
		
	
	
		
			   2000–01  
			   Maintained primary  Maintained secondary  
			  Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) Number of exclusions Percentage of the school population(11) 
		
		
			 Ribble Valley 2 0.02 21 0.25 
			 Lancashire 34 0.03 207 0.28 
			 North West(12) 204 0.03 1,139 0.25 
			 England(12) 1,436 0.03 7,305 0.23 
		
	
	(10) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(11) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) pupils in primary and secondary schools.
	(12) Permanent exclusions for 2000/01 are estimated as a number of local education authorities have not confirmed the data for their schools.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Free School Meals

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schoolchildren in Leeds West are in receipt of free school meals; and what this number is as a percentage of the total.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Maintained nursery, primary(13), secondary(13) and all special schools: school meal arrangements January 2002 By Leeds West Parliamentary Constituency and England
		
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(14) Maintained secondary schools(14) All special schools(14),(15)  
			  Number on roll Number known to be eligible for free meals Percentage known to be eligible for free meals Number on roll Number known to be eligible for free meals Percentage known to be eligible for free meals Number on roll Number known to be eligible for free meals Percentage known to be eligible for free meals 
		
		
			 England 4,405,639 754,511 17.1 3,260,931 486,353 14.9 87,734 33,695 38.3 
			 Leeds West 7,932 1,999 25.2 4,093 1,007 24.6 193 80 41.5 
		
	
	(13) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(14) Excludes boarding pupils.
	(15) Excludes pupils who are also registered at a mainstream school.

Further Education Funding

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the unit costs are of educating students in further education in (a) vocational and (b) academic courses in England.

Margaret Hodge: In 2002–03 we plan for total funding of £4,090 per full time equivalent student in further education sector colleges.
	This figure is for students on all courses, as the Department does not allocate money separately for vocational and academic courses. The figure includes additional funds for 2002–03 announced in June for the 'Success for All' strategy, and in September for the Teaching Pay Initiative and the College Pay Initiative.

Graduate Incomes

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the total income over the average working life of (a) graduates and (b) non-graduates; and what the sources are for this information.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 November 2002
	Using Labour Force Survey data from the four quarters autumn 2000 to summer 2001, we have estimated that, on average, graduates whose highest qualification is a first degree earn around £1,075,000 over a working life. This figure relates to Great Britain, and is based on gross earnings from main job. The equivalent figure for graduates and non-graduates, collectively, is around £675,000. Average lifetime earnings for only non-graduates would be significantly lower than this figure.

Graduate Incomes

Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the difference between the incomes of non-graduates and graduates in the five years after graduation.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 26 November 2002
	The information requested is not available.
	However, using Labour Force Survey data from the four quarters autumn 2000 to summer 2001, we estimate that first-degree graduates earn on average around £73,000 over the five years between the ages of 20 to 24 years inclusive. This figure relates to Great Britain, and is adjusted to take into account the likelihood of being in employment. The equivalent figure for graduates and non-graduates, collectively, is around £55,000. Average earnings over the ages of 20 to 24 years for only non-graduates would be significantly lower than this figure.

Graduates (Gender Balance)

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what gender balance is in graduates of mathematics, science and technology in England.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 November 2002
	The latest available information is shown in the table.
	
		First degree graduates in mathematics, science and technology—higher education institutions in England 2000–01
		
			  Numbers Percentages  
			  Female Male Total Female Male 
		
		
			  
			 Medicine and dentistry 2,446 2,254 4,700 52 48 
			 Subjects allied to medicine(16) 12,428 3,159 15,587 80 20 
			 Biological sciences 9,260 5,393 14,653 63 37 
			 Veterinary science 300 127 427 70 30 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 1,091 715 1,806 60 40 
			 Physical sciences 4,262 6,620 10,882 39 61 
			 Mathematical sciences 1,442 2,185 3,627 40 60 
			 Computer science 2,449 8,655 11,104 22 78 
			 Engineering and technology 2,623 14,379 17,002 15 85 
			 Architecture, building and planning 1,277 3,564 4,841 26 74 
			 Total 37,578 47,051 84,629 44 56 
		
	
	(16) Includes nursing.

Literacy Levels

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the levels of literacy in coalfield areas are, and how this compares with the national average for citizens born in the United Kingdom.

David Miliband: The information is as follows:
	(a) Levels of literacy in coalfield areas
	The following table shows estimated literacy levels in the main coalfield districts (those districts with more than three 'coalfield wards').
	
		
			 District name Percentage of population with 'low', 'lower' or 'very low' literacy 
		
		
			 Dover 23.9 
			 Cannock Chase 25.6 
			 Lichfield 21.0 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 25.1 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 23.0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 27.6 
			 Tamworth 26.7 
			 North Warwickshire 23.2 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 26.0 
			 Amber Valley 25.0 
			 Bolsover 27.6 
			 Chesterfield 26.2 
			 Erewash 24.3 
			 North East Derbyshire 23.7 
			 South Derbyshire 22.1 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 22.3 
			 North West Leicestershire 24.1 
			 Ashfield 27.0 
			 Bassetlaw 24.4 
			 Broxtowe 22.3 
			 Gedling 22.2 
			 Mansfield 26.6 
			 Newark and Sherwood 24.0 
			 Selby 22.3 
			 Barnsley 28.3 
			 Doncaster 27.2 
			 Rotherham 27.5 
			 Sheffield 25.8 
			 Calderdale 26.3 
			 Salford 27.6 
			 Wakefield 26.8 
			 Wigan 25.9 
			 St. Helens 26.4 
			 Middlesbrough 28.9 
			 Chester-le-Street 25.3 
			 Derwentside 27.4 
			 Durham 27.4 
			 Easington 30.4 
			 Alnwick 26.2 
			 Blyth Valley 26.6 
			 Castle Morpeth 21.3 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 25.8 
			 Wansbeck 29.1 
			 South Tyneside 29.0 
			 Sunderland 28.8 
		
	
	National average = 24 per cent.
	Note:
	Data at ward level are available as a searchable database on the Basic Skills Agency (BSA) website at www.basic-skills.co.uk/datasite/, which also contains data by parliamentary constituency and by local Learning and Skills Council area.
	(b) Levels of literacy of citizens born in the United Kingdom
	The most detailed survey of basic skills in Britain is XAdult Literacy in Britain", published in 1997. This reported that 20 per cent. of the UK population born in the UK had low levels of literacy, compared with 41 per cent. of those born outside the UK.
	The categories of skills referred to in the table above are defined as follows:
	'Average or Above'—Someone in this category will be able to satisfactorily complete most tasks, given that they were straightforward and commonly encountered in everyday life. Respondents were allowed to make some mistakes without being classified as below average or in need of help.
	'Low'—These respondents will be regarded as on the borderline of functional literacy and could attain the national standards in literacy and numeracy with relatively limited coursework or assistance.
	'Lower'—These respondents have limited literacy and numeracy skills and would need directed assistance in order to reach the national standards. They would be expected to have difficulties in coping with at least some of the everyday literacy and numeracy requirements they encounter.
	'Very Low'—These people have severe literacy and numeracy problems and would need intensive assistance to reach national standards.

Higher Education Funding

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total budgetary deficit is for each higher education institution.

Margaret Hodge: In 2000–01, there were 48 higher education institutions with budget deficits out of a total of 130. Higher education institutions include their accounts in their published annual reports.

Medical Students

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students who took up medical degrees in (a) this academic year and (b) in each year since 1997 were from overseas, and what proportion this represents.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 November 2002
	The latest information is shown in the table. Figures for autumn 2002 entry will be released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions (UCAS) service in January 2003.
	
		Students entering first degree medical courses by domicile higher education institutions in the UK
		
			  Home Overseas Total Percentage overseas 
		
		
			 1997–98 5,328 605 5,933 10 
			 1998–99 4,676 468 5,144 9 
			 1999–2000 4,560 446 5,006 9 
			 2000–01 5,185 487 5,672 9 
			 2001–02 5,635 581 6,216 9

Recruitment (Over-50s)

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people employed in his Department are aged over 50.

Stephen Twigg: 940 out of a total of 4,529 staff employed in the Department for Education and Skills are aged over 50.

Research Grants

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the block grant to each of the higher education institutions was for research in the last year.

Margaret Hodge: The research grant allocated to each of the higher education institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2002–03 is as follows:
	
		
			 University HEFCE research grant  
		
		
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 369,996 
			 Aston University 4,739,803 
			 University of Bath 11,696,494  
			 Birkbeck College 6,356,682 
			 University of Birmingham 29,314,995 
			 Bournemouth University 453,947 
			 University of Bradford 5,439,649 
			 University of Brighton 3,174,399 
			 University of Bristol 28,833,167 
			 Brunel University 6,199,814 
			 University of Cambridge 67,815,439 
			 University of Central England in Birmingham 971,690 
			 University of Central Lancashire 902,907 
			 City University 4,942,344 
			 Coventry University 880,828 
			 De Montfort University 4,187,608 
			 University of Derby 233,690 
			 University of Durham 15,939,398 
			 University of East Anglia 11,022,718 
			 University of East London 1,368,279 
			 University of Essex 7,642,647 
			 University of Exeter 9,156,817 
			 University of Gloucestershire 854,067 
			 Goldsmiths College 6,206,767 
			 University of Greenwich 1,940,965 
			 University of Hertfordshire 2,061,217 
			 University of Huddersfield 1,134,142 
			 University of Hull 5,064,625 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 60,692,241 
			 Keele University 4,834, 720 
			 University of Kent at Canterbury 5,585,307  
			 King's College London 37,500,846 
			 Kingston University 1,157,466 
			 Lancaster University 11,884,500 
			 University of Leeds 30,972,773 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 676,231 
			 University of Leicester 12,561,900 
			 University of Lincoln 180, 941 
			 University of Liverpool 21,741,046 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 2,268,923 
			 London Guildhall University 200,068 
			 Loughborough University 10,975,201 
			 University of Luton 313,199 
			 University of Manchester 38,929,069 
			 University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 12,821,087 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 3,164,334 
			 Middlesex University 1,756,066 
			 University of Newcastle 22,884,565 
			 University of North London 550,422 
			 University of Northumbria at Newcastle 1,265,803 
			 University of Nottingham 25,284,000 
			 Nottingham Trent University 2,675,485 
			 Open University 6,248,694 
			 University of Oxford 64,923,006 
			 Oxford Brookes University 2,137,811 
			 University of Plymouth 2,998,359 
			 University of Portsmouth 3,297,150 
			 Queen Mary, University of London 12,645,553 
			 University of Reading 16,371,430 
			 Royal Holloway, University of London 9,426,576 
			 University of Salford 5,561,665 
			 University of Sheffield 30,211,758 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 3,003,902 
			 University of Southampton 30,965,099 
			 South Bank University 1,713,812 
			 Staffordshire University 819,509 
			 University of Sunderland 1,382,446 
			 University of Surrey 14,179,884 
			 University of Surrey Roehampton 1,035,712 
			 University of Sussex 11,761,037 
			 University of Teesside 399,677 
			 Thames Valley University 36,003 
			 University College London 66,788,665 
			 University of Warwick 20,031,902 
			 University of West of England, Bristol 2,100,493 
			 University of Westminster 2,112,509 
			 University of Wolverhampton 731,183 
			 University of York 14,544,637 
			   
			 General colleges  
			 Bath Spa University College 245,427 
			 Bolton Institute of Higher Education 242,356 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 330,847 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University College 191,069 
			 Chester College of Higher Education 129,189 
			 University College Chichester 180,424 
			 Edge Hill College of Higher Education 45,882 
			 King Alfred's College, Winchester 172,886 
			 Liverpool Hope 89,645 
			 University College Northampton 295,534 
			 St. Mary's College 109,625 
			 Southampton Institute 31,779 
			 University College Worcester 70,425 
			 York St. John College 8,968 
			   
			 Specialist institutions  
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 0 
			 Arts Institute at Bournemouth 0 
			 Institute of Cancer Research 8,556,017 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 0 
			 Cranfield University 4,668,054 
			 Cumbria College of Art and Design 0 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 0 
			 Dartington College of Arts 138,341 
			 Institute of Education2 5,216,80 
			 Falmouth College of Arts 130,096 
			 Harper Adams University College 81,348 
			 Kent Institute of Art and Design 114,275 
			 University of London 1,967,255 
			 London Business School 3,295,361 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 11,945,666 
			 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 4,691,417 
			 The London Institute 5,599,850 
			 Newman College 0 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 0 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 4,288 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 4,583,785 
			 School of Pharmacy 1,998,527 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 0 
			 RCN Institute 0 
			 Rose Bruford College 0 
			 Royal Academy of Music 319,195 
			 Royal Agricultural College 51 ,948 
			 Royal College of Art 1,989,117 
			 Royal College of Music 229,406 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 167,331 
			 Royal Veterinary College 2,446,890 
			 St.George's Hospital Medical School 3,425,229 
			 College of St. Mark & St. John 26,994 
			 St. Martin's College 57,155 
			 The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College 144,887 
			 Trinity and All Saints 37,255 
			 Trinity College of Music 0 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 759,692 
			 Writtle College 0 
		
	
	Source:
	pp8–14, 'Recurrent grants for 2002–03, Final allocations,' ref:2002/44, Higher Education Funding Council for England, October 2002.

School Access Initiative

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on the Schools Access Initiative programme in each year since it was introduced; and which schools are not eligible to apply for financial assistance under the programme.

Stephen Twigg: The following table gives details of the amount spent on the Schools Access Initiative each year since the scheme was introduced in 1996. A further £100 million per annum will be available in each of the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06.
	Special schools are currently ineligible to benefit from the Initiative. However, from 2003–04, the initiative will be delivered through the Single Capital Pot, which will give LEAs greater flexibility in how they spend the funds. Special schools, as well as mainstream schools, will be eligible to apply.
	
		Allocations under schools access initiative, 1996–97 to 2002–03 -- £ million
		
			  Schools Access Initiative allocation 
		
		
			  
			 1996–97 10 
			 1997–98 4 
			 1998–99 11 
			 1999–2000 20 
			 2000–01 30 
			 2001–02 50 
			 2002–03 70

School Admissions

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from London boroughs concerning limiting secondary school admission to children resident in their own borough; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: It is unlawful for local education authorities to limit admission to their schools to children living within their own borough, and we are not aware of any that do so. We have, however, received a representation from one London borough about a proposal on which Camden local education authority is consulting schools and parents, to give some priority in its admission arrangements to children who attend Camden primary schools. We do not believe that to be unlawful.
	Admission arrangements are determined at the local level and it will be up to Camden LEA, after statutory consultations with other admission authorities in the area and neighbouring LEAs, to decide whether to adopt the proposed change to its admission arrangements.

Secondments

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) head teachers, (b) other school teachers, (c) other school staff and (d) other local education authority staff are seconded to his Department (i) full time and (ii) part time at the most recent date for which information is available.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested, to 31 October 2002, is set out in the table:
	
		Secondments to DfES at 31 October 2002
		
			  Head teachers Other school teachers Other school staff Other local education authority staff 
		
		
			 Full time 2 — 1 43 
			 Part time — — — 5 
			 Total 2 — 1 48

Section 91 Agreements

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will review the decision to abolish Section 91 agreements; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many Jewish schools have Section 91 agreements with their LEAs: what representations he has received on behalf of Jewish denominational schools in respect of the abolition of Section 91 agreements; and if he will make statement.

David Miliband: The repeal of Section 91 came into force on 1 October. This will enable pupils to access maintained school places which were previously left unfilled. We do not know how many schools have section 91 arrangements, as my Department does not keep records of these local agreements. However, 10 Jewish schools and the Agency for Jewish Education have written to the Department in support of retaining section 91 arrangements. My Department has made enquiries of these schools' maintaining LEAs and has found that only one of these schools has such an arrangement.

Student Finance

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of debt incurred in the course of doing a university degree as a proportion of lifetime income, as an average for graduates.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 November 2002
	Information on student loan accounts is held by the Student Loans Company, and relates to publicly owned debt or to debts held in the private sector following the two Government debt sales. Information on students' private sector debt such as overdrafts and other commercial loans is not available centrally.
	The second cohort of students on a three-year degree course who entered higher education under the new student support arrangements are due to enter repayment in April 2003. The average debt of a borrower with a new income contingent loan entering repayment in that year is estimated to be some £7,380. This includes borrowers who have completed three years of study from 1998 as well as those on shorter courses or who have left higher education early.
	The figure provided is very small when compared to the estimated average lifetime earnings of graduates whose highest qualification is a first degree, which is, undiscounted, around £1,075,000. All of these figures relate to Great Britain.

Student Finance

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive regarding his Department's inquiry into funding for students in higher education.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 November 2002
	My right hon. Friend holds regular discussions with my Scottish counterpart on a range of issues of mutual interest. I have also spoken with the hon. Gentlemen regarding higher education issues.

Student Finance

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the level of funding required if university grants had been maintained at their final level in (a) real terms and (b) actual terms in (i) 1998–99, (ii) 1999–2000, (iii) 2000–01, (iv) 2001–02 and (v) 2002–03, broken down for students originating in (A) England and (B) Wales.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 25 November 2002
	Under the XMandatory Awards" scheme in operation up to academic year 1997–98 students received two forms of grant:
	(i) an award for maintenance, and
	(ii) an award paid by LEAs to Higher Education Institutions towards tuition fee costs.
	Tables 1 and 2 show the estimated funding required for LEA expenditure on awards for fees and maintenance in real and cash terms for each of the financial years 1998–99 to 2002–03, assuming that the grants available in 1997–98 had continued thereafter.
	
		Table 1: Estimated Grant Funding in real(17)terms -- £m
		
			 Year England Wales Total 
		
		
			 1998–99 1,815 11 1,926 
			 1999–2000 1,812 111 1,922 
			 2000–01 1,795 114 1,909 
			 2001–02 1,823 115 1,935 
			 2002–03 1,841 116 1,957 
		
	
	(17) Figures have been converted to 1998–99 price levels using the September 2002 GDP deflators.
	Note:
	Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	
		Table 2: Estimated Grant Funding in cash terms -- £m
		
			 Year England Wales Total 
		
		
			 1998–99 1,815 111 1,926 
			 1999–2000 1,855 114 1,969 
			 2000–01 1,880 119 1,998 
			 2001–02 1,950 123 2,073 
			 2002–03 2,018 128 2,145 
		
	
	Note
	Figures may not sum due to rounding
	These are approximate estimates derived by applying the grant arrangements in 1997–98 to numbers of England and Welsh students for the academic years 1998–99 to 2002–03. Costs for English and Welsh students have been pro-rated on the basis of numbers of students from each country.
	Tables 3 and 4 shows the award payments for fees and maintenance made by LEAs in real and cash terms under the XMandatory Awards" scheme for each of the financial years 1998–99 to 2002–03.
	
		Table 3: Outturn Grant Payments in real(18) terms -- £m
		
			 Year England Wales Total 
		
		
			 1998–99 1,491 91 1,582 
			 1999–2000 672 41 713 
			 2000–01 268 71 8 
			 2001–02 71 4 75 
			 2002–03 8 1 9 
		
	
	(18) Figures have been converted to 1998–99 price levels using the September 2002 GDP deflators.
	Note
	1. Figures may not sum due to rounding
	2. Figures for England and Wales have been estimated.
	3. 2000–01 outturn is provisional.
	
		Table 4: Outturn Grant Payments (cash terms) -- £m
		
			 Year England Wales Total 
		
		
			  
			 1998–99 1,491 91 1,582 
			 1999–2000 688 42 730 
			 2000–01 281 18 298 
			 2001–02 76 5 80 
			 2002–03 9 1 9 
		
	
	Note
	1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Figures for England and Wales have been estimated.
	3. 2000–01 outturn is provisional
	Costs for English and Welsh students have been pro-rated on the basis of numbers of students from each country.
	In addition, students also receive a subsidised loan towards living costs.

Student Finance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking to minimise overpayment of student loans under the Inland Revenue collection arrangements.

Margaret Hodge: The Student Loans Company (SLC) has this month introduced a special service for borrowers who have nearly completed repayment of their income-contingent loans. Based on a projection of earnings from the borrower, the SLC will tell the Inland Revenue when repayments should stop being collected. This Xself-predictor" model is designed to prevent employers collecting too much and the borrower having to obtain a refund.
	My officials are also working with the SLC on more advanced web-based approaches as part of our programme to modernise the delivery of student support.

Student Finance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking in conjunction with the Student Loans Company to improve availability of information on the amount of outstanding loan liabilities for individual graduates.

Margaret Hodge: Borrowers under the pre-1998–99 scheme of mortgage style loans receive annual statements from the Student Loans Company (SLC) showing what has been repaid and the outstanding balance owed. Borrowers can call or write to the SLC at any time, and be given an up to date statement.
	For most borrowers under the current income-contingent loans scheme, repayments will be collected by their employers through deductions from their earnings, with tax and national insurance contributions. These borrowers receive a statement from the SLC after the end of the tax year, once it has received details of what has been collected by the Inland Revenue.
	As well as the yearly statement, borrowers' payslips contain details of their repayments. If a borrower contacts the SLC, it can provide an estimate of the amounts repaid and what is outstanding using the information on the borrower's payslips. Borrowers can contact the SLC over the phone for this information.
	The SLC has this month introduced a service for borrowers under the income-contingent loan scheme who have nearly completed repayment of their loan. Based on a projection of earnings from the borrower, the company will tell the Inland Revenue when repayments should stop being collected. This is designed to prevent employers collecting too much and the borrower having to obtain a refund.
	Self-employed borrowers receive their statements after making their self-assessment return to the Inland Revenue.

Student Finance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will pay interest on repayments in cases where individual graduates have overpaid their student loan liabilities.

Margaret Hodge: Borrowers who have overpaid their student loans, through deductions from their salaries, are entitled to a full refund of the amount overpaid with interest. The interest is paid at the same rate as it is charged on the loan—at the rate of inflation—and is tax free.

Sustainability Strategy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the sustainability strategy is for his Department; and if he will make a statement on how it has changed since the world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg.

Stephen Twigg: Sustainable development is an integral part of the Department's annual planning cycle, which is subject to mid-year review. We were one of the first Departments to do this.
	We have embraced sustainable development in our Strategic Framework to 2006 XEducation and Skills—delivering results; A Strategy to 2006", where we have said publicly that we will deliver:
	XA Departmental Investment Strategy for schools, colleges and universities in England which encourages sustainable development and modernises the estate, helping to enrich communities and make towns and cities better places to live and work in."
	This recognises the significant impact on the social and economic aspects of sustainable development through our core business of raising educational standards and improving skills, including education for sustainable development (ESD). Specific actions include a statutory entitlement to ESD in the revised National Curriculum in England and the introduction of Citizenship as a new National Curriculum subject from September 2002. We are ensuring that we build on this progress through our joint sponsorship with DEFRA of the Sustainable Development Education Panel and through specific school initiatives such as Growing Schools, which promotes the outdoor classroom.
	Furthermore, the Learning and Skills Council have funded 11 pilots to identify and share good practice on education for sustainable development in the Further Education sector, and have plans for a further 12 pilots. While in higher education, we are supporting the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS) project through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which aims to develop a sustainability reporting system for the higher education sector.
	We have reported progress made by the Department for Education and Skills estate in the recent Sustainable Development in Government Report for 2002, launched on 27 November, and towards the UK Sustainable Development headline indicators in the Government Annual Report on Sustainable Development. This Department has a direct influence on two headline indicators: H5—Qualifications at age 19; and H4—working age people with no qualifications, as well as eight lower level Xnational" indicators.
	In line with new targets set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, we will be reporting, along with other Departments, on our various sustainable development impacts, progress and achievements by April 2003. This will take the form of a new website bringing together the various sources of information about the Department for Education and Skills' sustainable development impacts and achievements in one easily accessible place.
	Outcomes from the World Summit on Sustainable Development and first views on follow-up will be reflected in the Government Annual Report on Sustainable Development for 2002. We will consider the outcomes, along with other Departments and will contribute where necessary.

Teachers (Housing Costs)

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are being made to help teachers in Further Education Colleges with their housing costs.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 27 November 2002
	We recognise that staff in the further education (FE) sector need to be able to find affordable homes within a reasonable distance from their work place.
	On 19 November the Secretary of State announced that the total funding for FE is set to rise by £1.2 billion between 2002–03 and 2005–06, a real terms increase of 19 per cent. From next year, colleges which have demonstrated their effectiveness will have three year funding deals allowing them to plan on a longer-term basis, with increases linked to performance. We will also consolidate the funds provided for the Teaching Pay Initiative into core funding. The substantial real terms increases in core funding, over and above the costs of additional students and inflation, and the three year funding agreements should enable colleges to deliver the improvements in pay that staff deserve.
	The Government is also making an additional £1.4 billion available in the period 2003–06 to help improve the supply of affordable housing. As part of this, the Starter Homes Initiative (SHI) aims to help key workers to buy homes in areas where the high cost of housing is undermining recruitment and retention. While FE teachers are not identified as a priority for the SHI, they may be eligible for loans or cash grants in some areas because of local flexibilities in delivering the scheme.

Universal Career Service

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to develop a universal career service.

Stephen Twigg: Through the Connexions Service, all young people aged 13 to 19 in England will have access to a Personal Adviser (PA). One of the key roles of the Connexions PA is to provide independent information, advice and guidance on learning and career options. Support may be delivered in class or small group settings, or through one-to-one interviews, depending on the young person's needs. The Connexions Service is now operating in 44 Partnership areas and there will be complete coverage (in all 47 areas, i.e. in all 150 English local education authorities) by 2003.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claim Packs

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claim packs are issued by his Department which refer claimants to Citizens Advice Bureau for advice and assistance.

Malcolm Wicks: During 2001–02, over 21.5 million benefit claim packs were printed and issued to the Department's local offices. The Department does not keep records of the number of these packs which have been issued to members of the public or requested by the Citizens Advice Bureaux.
	Our staff offer people the help and advice they need to claim the benefits they are entitled to, and the support those who are able to work need to find jobs. In accordance with the express wishes of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, many of our claim packs and leaflets advise people that they can receive independent advice from their local Citizens Advice Bureau. The Department has no information on the number of people who seek such advice and does not keep records of the number who are directed by staff to a Citizens Advice Bureau or other local advisory services.

Disabled People's Rights

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions the Ministerial Taskforce on Civil Rights for Disabled People has met since its establishment; and if he will list its membership.

Maria Eagle: The Disability Rights Task Force met 17 times between 16 December 1997 and 15 November 1999. It no longer exists but its membership when it completed its work was as follows:
	Chair: Margaret Hodge—Minister for Disabled People
	Stephen Alambritis—Federation of Small Businesses
	Bob Benson—Disability Scotland
	Jane Campbell—National Centre for Independent Living
	Elizabeth Clarke—former Business Research Officer, Institute of Directors
	Caroline Gooding—Trade Union Disability Alliance
	David Grayson—National Disability Council
	Rachel Hurst—Rights Now
	David Jenkins—Wales Trade Union Council
	Su Jenkins—Member, Confederation of British Industry
	Brian Lamb—SCOPE
	Colin Low—Royal National Institute of the Blind
	Joe Mann—National League for the Blind and Disabled
	Bert Massie—The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation
	Brian Pomeroy—Deloitte and Touche Consulting Group
	Philippa Russell—Council for Disabled Children
	Liz Sayce—former Policy Director, Mind (National Association for Mental Health
	Susan Scott-Parker—Employers' Forum on Disability
	Ranjit Sondhi—former Deputy Chairman, Commission for Racial Equality
	James Strachan—The Royal National Institute for Deaf People
	Richard Taylor—Lifespan Healthcare NHS Trust
	Roy Taylor—Community Services, Kingston-upon-Thames Local Authority
	Keith Welton—Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd
	Monica Wilson—Disability Action (Northern Ireland)
	Richard Wood—British Council of Organisations of Disabled People
	The titles and organisations named are those relating to the members' positions at the time.

Funerals

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when funeral payments were last capped; and when he will implement the recommendation of the Social Security Committee that the cap on funeral payments should be increased.

Malcolm Wicks: The present Social Fund funeral payments scheme was introduced in 1997. On 27 November, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his pre-Budget report that a further £15 million will be made available for the scheme. This means that from this coming April, the amount allowed for funeral expenses not specified in regulations will rise from £600 to £700.

Jobcentre Plus

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the outturn figures were for (a) the Jobcentre Plus Customer Service Target and (b) the Jobcentre Plus Employer Outcome Target for 2002–03; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library the report on the pilot of the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target scheme conducted by his Department;
	(3)  what the outturn figure was in respect of the national Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target points score for 2002–03, broken down by client group; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the outturn figures were in respect of the Jobcentre Plus Business Delivery Target for 2002–03; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many job entries have been achieved in relation to each of the Jobcentre Plus priority client groups in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what job entry target points scores were set for each Jobcentre Plus district for 2002–03; what the latest available outturn figures in respect of the target are for each district, broken down by client group; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive, Leigh Lewis. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.
	Letter from L. Lewis to Mr. Oliver Heald, dated 28 November 2002
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning Jobcentre Plus performance. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	You raised a number of detailed questions about Jobcentre Plus performance against our Performance and Resources Agreement (PRA), which I will cover in this reply. You also asked a number of questions about the criteria applied to how job entry points were allocated to specific client groups. I understand the Secretary of State will be responding separately to these as they relate to the underlying policy.
	Before turning to your specific questions it may be helpful if I explain that the Jobcentre Plus Performance and Resource Agreement is a formal annual agreement between the Secretary of State and Chief Executive of the Agency. It sets out clearly the aim, purpose and objectives of the Agency and the targets to be met in this operational year. There are five high level targets and details of these were laid before the House on 19th March 2002.
	I am pleased to say that Jobcentre Plus has made a good start. To the end of October we were 10.6% ahead of our job entry points target profile. This equates to helping 786,116 people into work in our first seven months. You asked for a breakdown of job entries by priority client group:
	Priority Client Group 1: 87,078
	Priority Client Group 2: 207,727
	Priority Client Group 3: 177,219
	Priority Client Group 4: 222,670
	Priority Client Group 5: 91,422
	At the mid year stage we were 5.3 and 1.7 percentage points respectively above our Customer Service and Employer Outcome targets. However, the latest interim figures for the Business Delivery target are showing that we are around two percentage points below the target of 93.4%. This is an area where we are making special efforts to improve performance.
	You have specifically asked for the latest outturn figures, by Jobcentre Plus District, for Job Entry points and latest national outturn figures for Customer Service, Employer Outcomes and Business Delivery. This information is set out in the tables which will be placed in the Library.
	You also asked whether the the report on the pilot of the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target structure will be placed in the House Library. We have undertaken a series of studies examining the piloting, and the national implementation, of job entry points. A comprehensive summary report combining findings from the three research studies has been commissioned. This report will be published in March 2003 and a copy will be placed in the Library.
	I hope this is helpful.

Ministerial Visits (East Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times he has visited East Lancashire in his official capacity; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Andrew Smith: I have made one visit to East Lancashire since my appointment in May of this year-to the Pensions Centre in Burnley.

New Deal

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) young people, (b) people aged over 50 years and (c) people with disabilities have signed up to the New Deal in the Cleethorpes Constituency.

Nick Brown: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Total number of participants in Cleethorpes(19) 
		
		
			 New deal for young people(20) 1,750 
			 New deal 50 plus(21) 250 
		
	
	(19) Up to the end of September 2002.
	(20) From January 1998.
	(21) From April 2000
	Source
	New deal evaluation database.
	Information at constituency level is not available for the new deal for disabled people.

New Deal for Lone Parents

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 26 November 2002, Official Report, column 210W, on the New Deal for Lone Parents, how many lone parents have found work on the New Deal for Lone Parents, broken down (a) monthly and (b) by gender.

Nick Brown: The information is published in the New Deal for Lone Parents Statistical First Release, which is available in the Library.

Pension Benefits

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the relative benefits payable in respect of equal contributions under (a) the Graduated Retirement Benefit Scheme and (b) contracted out equivalent pension benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: People who contracted out of the Graduated Retirement Benefit Scheme did so on condition that the occupational scheme offered equivalent pension benefits.
	The Graduated Retirement Benefit Scheme and contracted out equivalent pension benefits ended in April 1975. From November 1978 the value of benefits payable under the Graduated Retirement Benefit Scheme has been uprated each year. However, there is no similar requirement that contracted out equivalent pension benefits should be uprated.

Retirement Benefits

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people (a) contracted out of graduated retirement benefit and (b) were reinstated; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is not available.

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who applied for a budgeting loan in 2000–01 in Leeds West had an outstanding Social Fund Loan.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on Budgeting Loan applications is not collected at Parliamentary constituency level and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	However, during 2000–01, in the Leeds Social Security district, 22,876 decisions were made on Budgeting Loan applications, of which 14,411 were applications from people with existing Social Fund debt. These figures may include cases where a person has made more than one application.
	Notes:
	1. Existing Social Fund debt includes Crisis Loan debt.
	2. The existence of Social Fund debt does not necessarily affect decisions on Budgeting Loan applications.
	Source:
	100 per cent. scan of the Social Fund computer system.

State Pension

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate what the state pension would be for (a) a single person and (b) a married couple, if the link with average earnings had not been broken.

Ian McCartney: The information is in the table.
	
		The value of the state pension for (a) a single person and (b) a married couple if the link to average earnings had not been broken (£ per week)
		
			  Basic state pension at November 1979 Actual amount in April 2002 Amount in April 2002 if the link to average earnings had not been broken 
		
		
			  
			 Single 23.30 75.50 105.70 
			 Couple 37.30 120.70 169.00 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Rates are taken from November 1979 as the earnings link was broken in November 1980.
	2. The Retail Prices Index (all items) has been used as published by the Office for National Statistics.
	3. Average Earnings Index Whole Economy (Non Seasonally Adjusted) as published by the Office of National Statistics.
	4. From April 1994 the basic rate of retirement pension has been increased by 50p on a single person and an additional 20p on a pensioner couple to reflect VAT on fuel.
	5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 pence at each uprating.
	Source:
	Information Centre, Information and Analysis Directorate.

State Pension

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of average earnings the State Pension is for (a) a single person and (b) a married couple.

Ian McCartney: The information is in the table.
	
		The percentage of average earnings the State Pension is for (a) a single person and (b) a married couple
		
			  Rate of basic state pension at April 2002 (£ per week) Rate as a percentage of average earnings  
		
		
			  
			 Single 75.50 16.2 
			 Couple 120.70 26.0 
		
	
	Note:
	Average weekly earnings of full time adult workers (from New Earnings Survey) as published by the Office of National Statistics.
	Source:
	Information Centre, Information and Analysis Directorate.

PRIME MINISTER

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Gibraltar.

Tony Blair: I have no immediate plans to do so.

Sweden

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the Prime Minister of Sweden.

Tony Blair: I met the Prime Minister of Sweden at the Party of European Socialists meeting on 15 November in Warsaw.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to encourage local police forces to improve response times.

John Denham: A key message of the National Policing Plan, published on 20 November, is the Government's determination to remove the barriers which prevent the police from providing the public with the best possible service.
	The police are well aware of the importance of providing a rapid response to an emergency call. Also, public satisfaction on response times for emergency calls is one of the Best Value Performance Indicators for police authorities. Authorities set targets on the indicator and are required to publish their force's performance in annual Best Value performance plans.

Police

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to (a) recruit part-time police officers and (b) allow full-time officers to change to part-time if they wish to (i) before and (ii) after they have completed 30 years' service.

John Denham: All new recruits may apply to work part-time, as may established police officers of all ranks, regardless of whether officers have completed 30 years' service or not. Managers must give full consideration to all requests to change to part-time working, taking into account operational needs.
	As part of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) Agreement of 9 May, part-time working will be made easier for officers in all ranks, regardless of whether they have completed 30 years service or not. We plan to remove the 16 hour a week minimum requirement for part-time working by 1 April 2003; together with the requirement for job sharing in respect of middle and senior ranks. The position of part-time probationers will be given further consideration in PNB.

Police

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of Lancashire Constabulary's large-scale arrest of drug dealers.

Bob Ainsworth: We have been kept fully informed of the Lancashire constabulary's activity against drug dealers, most notably Operation Nimrod. This has so far resulted in over 100 people being arrested and dealt with by the courts. Seizures of class A drugs have risen considerably in comparison to last year. The constabulary has commissioned both an internal evaluation of Operation Nimrod as well as an external evaluation by Lancaster university on its impact within the community. These reports are due at the beginning of March.

Police

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet Chief Police Officers to discuss rural policing.

John Denham: I meet regularly with Chief Police Officers and discuss a wide range of issues with them.

Police

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to enable police officers to spend more time on the beat during their working day.

John Denham: We are committed to tackling the administrative burdens and inefficient working practices that keep officers off the streets. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary established a taskforce, under the chairmanship of Sir David O'Dowd, to identify ways in which forces can free up the time of front line officers. The taskforce's report was published on 17 September this year and contained 52 recommendations to increase the presence of police in communities. We have now set up a steering group, co-chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office, to take forward these recommendations.
	Two recommendations of the taskforce have already been introduced in the Criminal Justice and Sentencing Bill to allow police officers to grant 'street bail':
	Police officers will be provided with the option to offer an arrested person immediate bail at the scene rather than immediately having to take the person to a police station.
	The requirement to list all property taken into custody is to be removed so that the custody officer would secure all possessions in a scalable property bag and only make a few supporting comments.
	We are also consulting with the judiciary on a provision to be included in the Bill, which will allow officers to obtain search warrants by video, by telephone and by fax. We are reviewing each and every Code of Practice issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to cut unnecessary bureaucracy. A new code A is to commence in April 2003, and new codes B-E are likely to commence by May 2003.

CCTV

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of CCTV in reducing crime levels.

John Denham: Under the Crime Reduction Programme CCTV Initiative, a potential of £170 million will be spent funding 684 public area CCTV schemes, including £60,000 for cameras in Wetherby.
	As a condition of funding, each scheme is required to undertake an independent evaluation of its effectiveness as a tool to assist the police and reduce crime and the fear of crime. These evaluations will cover implementation, impact and cost effectiveness. In addition, to help ensure maximum impact and sustainability of CCTV, a £1.5 million Home Office funded national evaluation programme is being carried out by the Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, on 17 approved CCTV Initiative schemes.
	Police operational experience and various other research studies show that CCTV has considerable crime reduction and detection potential, particularly when used as part of a wider strategy.

CCTV

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce portable CCTV systems to small towns; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The Department provides a variety of funding which may be used to establish and run Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) schemes in both large and small urban areas, residential or rural locations. For example, under the Crime Reduction Programme CCTV Initiative a potential £170 million is being invested in 684 CCTV schemes of which 41 are mobile. Decisions on whether to invest in static or mobile CCTV and precise deployment within specific areas are matters for determination by the relevant local crime reduction partners.

Antisocial Behaviour

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour which does not constitute a criminal offence.

John Denham: We are committed to combating anti-social behaviour in whatever form it occurs. We have already introduced measures to increase effectiveness of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, created community support officers and strengthened powers to issue fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour. We are working closely across government to build on these and to identify what else we need to do, including new legislation where appropriate.

Child Protection

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the protection of children from (a) vicious attacks and (b) sexual assault.

Hilary Benn: The XProtecting the Public" sets out proposals to tighten the requirements of the sex offenders' register, improve monitoring of offenders and build in new safeguards against evasion. It also outlines a range of new offences to better protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation including an offence to catch adults who groom children over the internet, with the intention of meeting them and engaging in sexual activity. This offence is designed to protect children from predatory activity, whatever form it takes.

Extradition

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to implement new extradition procedures.

Bob Ainsworth: The Extradition Bill, which will modernise our extradition laws, was published on 14 November.

Extradition

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on whether the European Arrest Warrant should allow a UK citizen to face trial in another country where there would be a presumption of guilt.

Bob Ainsworth: All countries to which the European arrest warrant will be extended operate a presumption of innocence. There will be a hearing before a British Judge and a right of appeal where concerns about any breach of rights under the European Convention on Human Rights can be revised, prior to any extradition request being carried out.

Witness Intimidation

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to protect vulnerable witnesses from intimidation.

Hilary Benn: In July we started a phased implementation of special measures, such as live TV Links, video recorded evidence, and screens to help vulnerable or intimidated witnesses give their best evidence in court. The Criminal Justice and Sentencing Bill will introduce several changes to the rules of evidence and tighten up magistrates' granting of bail to encourage witnesses to give evidence. Guidance has been issued to the police on tackling witness intimidation in the community, and this is also reflected in the new Anti-Social Behaviour Order Guidance published on 12 November.

Witness Intimidation

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to provide better treatment for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.

Hilary Benn: In July, we started a phased implementation of special measures, such as live TV links, video recorded evidence and screens to help vulnerable or intimidated witnesses give their best evidence in court.
	The Criminal Justice and Sentencing Bill will introduce several changes to the rules of evidence to encourage witnesses and make their experience easier:
	in future, witnesses will be able to have in court their original statement that they made to police and refer to it to refresh their memories while giving evidence;
	any witness, if there is a good reason, will be able to give evidence by live television link; and
	the defence will have to prove to the judge that evidence of a witness's previous misconduct, or other bad character evidence, is clearly relevant to the case before they bring it up.
	The Bill tightens up magistrates' granting of bail, partly to prevent re-offending, but also to protect victims and witnesses from intimidation in the run-up to a trial. When considering whether to grant bail, magistrates will have to take into account whether an offender has broken bail conditions before. At the same time, if there is a threat that the offender will intimidate a victim or witness, we are encouraging the prosecution to use this as grounds to challenge bail. We are also extending the prosecution's power to appeal against bail from more serious offences (with a top sentence of five years' custody or more), to any imprisonable offence.
	Guidance has been issued to the police on tackling witness intimidation in the community. All forces have been issued with a training video and a series of prompts which should enable them to identify potential intimidated witnesses and how they should respond to reports of crime without themselves placing witnesses at risk. Home Office Circular Number 12/2001, issued in May last year, advised the police to take immediate positive action to prosecute offenders in cases of intimidation and harassment of witnesses.
	From 2 December, the courts will be able to order an immediate stop to anti-social behaviour. This should reduce the scope for witness intimidation. The new Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) guidance, published on 12 November, stresses the importance of offering protection and support to witnesses (as well as victims) of anti-social behaviour.

Crime (Gravesham)

Chris Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of recorded crime in Gravesham in the last 12 months.

John Denham: According to the most recent published recorded crime figures, in the 12 months to March 2002, crime in Gravesham fell by 4 per cent. This includes a fall of 8 per cent. in domestic burglary; a fall of 11 per cent. in thefts of a motor vehicle and a fall of 7 per cent. in thefts from a motor vehicle.

Terrorism

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of support for terrorism among fundamentalist Islamist sects in the United Kingdom.

David Blunkett: The police and security forces closely monitor the activities of those who seek to promote the views of proscribed organisations of whatever background.

Youth Crime

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what international evidence he has taken into consideration in developing policies to tackle youth crime.

John Denham: Our broad approach to preventing youth crime is to focus on those factors which research and experience, both from within the United Kingdom and abroad, tell us are most likely to increase the risk of criminality, as well as targeted preventative work with the most at risk young people in high crime areas. The risk factors are to do with the family, environment and school, and include behavioural factors such as early drugs and alcohol misuse.
	In October this year we hosted an international seminar on youth crime, bringing together leading academics, practitioners and policy makers, to identify experience and evidence from across the world to inform our approach to youth crime. We shall take forward the outcomes of the seminar in the context of the Green Paper on children at risk announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 30 October, and they will inform other parts of our programme, such as our drive against antisocial behaviour.

Prisons

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is (a) the prison population and (b) the maximum capacity of prisons.

Hilary Benn: As at 21 November 2002, the prison population stood at 72,477. On the same date, useable operational capacity within prisons was 72,882.

Prisons

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners are sharing (a) two to a cell designed for one and (b) three to a cell designed for two.

Hilary Benn: At the end of October 2002, 19.6 per cent. of the prisoner population were sharing two to a cell designed for one (doubled).
	The number of prisoners sharing three to a cell designed for two is not collected separately. However, at the same date, 22.2 per cent. of the total population were held in overcrowded conditions. This includes prisoners doubled those held three to a cell designed for two and any prisoners overcrowded in dormitories and larger cells.
	Data are provisional and subject to validation by prisons.

Street Crime

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of pilot schemes to reduce street crime.

John Denham: On 14 October 2002, my right hon Friend the Home Secretary announced the results of the Street Crime Initiative to date. The figures show that since the start of the Initiative, street crime has fallen by 16 per cent., during the period April to September in the 10 police forces which accounted for over 80 per cent., of the robbery problem. For robbery, the more serious offence, the number of offences in September 2002 was 25 per cent. lower than March for the 10 forces as a whole.
	The figures illustrate that what was an escalating trend has been reversed over the period since the launch of the Street Crime Initiative. There has been a 10 per cent. reduction (4,600) offences in the number of robberies during the period April to September compared to the same period last year.

Neighbourhood Watch

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide central Government funding for Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

John Denham: The Home Office does not provide funding to individual Watch schemes, but directs it towards national initiatives designed to support the sort of local activity which Neighbourhood Watch represents. It also pays for the production of a range of Neighbourhood Watch publications, including a training manual for scheme co-ordinators.
	It would not be possible to fund every local scheme, invidious to choose between them. The essence of local partnership is local people getting together with the police and their local authority to solve local problems.

Drug Addicts

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of waiting times for access to detoxification treatment for drug addicts.

Peter Ainsworth: Waiting times for drug treatment were not systematically reported before the establishment of the National Treatment Agency in 2001. Drug Action Teams are now required to report annually on their progress against NTA waiting time targets.
	Waiting times for drug treatment have already been reduced considerably. In 2001, before the NTA was set up, the average waiting time for inpatient detoxification was 12 weeks. This had fallen to seven weeks by April 2003 and 31 per cent. of DATs have already achieved the NTA's 2003 target of a maximum four week wait. The NTA has set a further target of reducing this to two weeks by 2004.
	Reducing waiting times is key element of our strategy to get more people into treatment. Between 1998 and 2001 the number of drug users entering treatment increased from 45,912 to 66,327. We are on track to meet our target of doubling the number of people in drug treatment by 2008.

Arnley Prison

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average population of Leeds Prison, Arnley, in 2001–02 was; what the average length of stay was; and what the (a) daily and (b) weekly percentage turnover of inmates was.

Hilary Benn: The average population of Leeds Prison during 2001–02 was 1,233. The information on average length of stay is not recorded: Neither is the daily or weekly turnover of prisoners for that period. The current average daily intake of prisoners is around 40.

Arson

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions there have been for arson in each year since 1992.

John Denham: The information requested is contained in the table.
	
		Persons found guilty of arson at all courts, England and Wales, 1992 to 2002
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1992 1,604 
			 1993 1,419 
			 1994 1,508 
			 1995 1,433 
			 1996 1,283 
			 1997 1,582 
			 1998 1,393 
			 1999 1,380 
			 2000 1,436 
		
	
	Information for 2001 is not yet available.

Burglary

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been jailed in each year since 1999 under the provisions of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, section 111, for a third offence of burglary.

Hilary Benn: Information reported to the Home Office shows that no sentences under section 111 of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (previously section 4 of the Crime (Sentence) Act 1997) for a third offence of burglary were passed by the end of 2000.
	An offender would have to be apprehended, prosecuted and convicted on three separate occasions since 1 December 1999 to be subject to the mandatory sentence. Such action is likely to take some time.
	Information for 2001 is due for publication shortly.

Children's Commissioner

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes appointing a children's commissioner for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the Commissioner for Wales.

John Denham: Responsibility for appointing a children's commissioner rests with the devolved Administrations—my responsibility in this regard is solely for England.
	The Northern Ireland Assembly have drafted a Bill to establish a children's commissioner, and following the suspension of the Assembly in Stormont, this Bill is expected to pass through Westminster as an Order-in-Council before March 2003. A Bill is expected to be published soon to establish a children's commissioner in Scotland.
	As far as England is concerned, the possibility of establishing a children's commissioner is still under consideration. We are considering what role a Commissioner or Ombudsman-type function could play in achieving cultural and political change. There is no one model of a commissioner being developed in the UK—we are seeing in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland three different approaches to the idea. Of the UK's 14 million children, 11.9 million of those live in England, and we would need to be sure that any new structure added value to the existing mechanisms in place for children.
	The Commissioner for Wales is due to publish his first annual report on 28 November, and I look forward with interest to reading about his work over his first year in post.

Corporate Manslaughter

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received in support of the introduction of a corporate manslaughter charge in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: We have been unable on the information available to identify the number of representations we have received in support of the introduction of a corporate manslaughter charge in the last 12 months. These have taken the form of letters, a very large number of telephone calls, e-mails etc. The proposals have attracted and continue to attract a lot of interest from a variety of sectors in society, with varying views being put forward.

DNA Profiles

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK citizens have their DNA profiles stored in the Home Office database; and what the net number of additions was in each of the last two months.

John Denham: The national DNA database does not store information relating to the nationality of an individual.
	The total number of profiles held on the database at 31 October 2002 was 1,919,173. The Forensic Science Service calculate that these profiles relate to 1.73 million different individuals.
	The number of profiles added to the database during October 2002 was 39,803.
	The number of profiles added to the database during September 2002 was 36,004.

East Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times he has visited east Lancashire in his official capacity; and what the purpose was of each visit.

David Blunkett: I have not so far had the opportunity to visit east Lancashire but my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham) and my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) have both visited Burnley as part of their work on community cohesion.

Elderly People (Fear of Crime)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to protect the elderly from fear of crime.

John Denham: The British Crime Survey data have consistently shown that older people are less likely to suffer from both household and personal crimes than other age groups. However, they also tells us that older people are greatly affected by fear of crime.
	The Home Office is working closely to reduce fear of crime with record numbers of police on the streets, new community support officers and greater numbers of community and street wardens, in addition to its wide range of crime reduction programmes being delivered locally.
	Levels of fear of crime among older people are still too high; we are committed to reducing them, and we have been working with charities such as Help The Aged and Age Concern to find new and better ways of tackling fear of crime among seniors as well as crimes against them.

European Arrest Warrant

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will seek legal advice on Council of the European Union Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between member states with regard to (a) its implementation in Scots law and (b) whether its implementation is a reserved matter;
	(2)  what legal advice he has received on Council of the European Union Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between member states with regard to (a) its implementation in Scots law and (b) whether its implementation is a reserved matter.

Bob Ainsworth: It is a long-standing convention that the Government do not disclose the content of legal advice they have received or even that legal advice has been obtained.
	Extradition is a reserved matter under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. However, Scottish Ministers have responsibility for casework where the fugitive is in Scotland.
	The Scottish Parliament passed a Sewel Motion on the Extradition Bill on 21 November 2002 agreeing that the provisions in the Bill conferring functions on Scottish Ministers should be considered by the United Kingdom Parliament.

Extradition Bill

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which clauses of the Extradition Bill officials from the Scottish Executive played a role in drafting.

Bob Ainsworth: Officials from the Scottish Executive have been involved at all stages of the drafting of the Extradition Bill.

Female Prisons

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to convert men's prisons to house the female prison population; how many (a) establishments are to be converted and (b) places will be provided, and when they are due to open;
	(2)  what plans he has for new women's prisons; how many (a) establishments and (b) places are planned; and when they are due to open.

Hilary Benn: It is planned that the new prison scheduled to open at Ashford, near Heathrow, in 2004 will be a female prison of 450 places. It is also planned that the new prison scheduled to open at Peterborough in Cambridgeshire in 2005 will have 840 places: 360 female and 480 male places.
	There are currently no other plans to open new female prisons, or to convert any male prisons into female prisons.

Humberside Police

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) civilian support staff were employed by Humberside Police in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002.

John Denham: The information is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Year (as at 31 March) Number of police officers(22) Number of civilian support staff(22),(23) 
		
		
			 2000 1,932 840 
			 2001 1,917 808 
			 2002 2,058 816 
		
	
	(22) Full-time equivalent numbers
	(23) Excludes traffic wardens
	Humberside Police has been allocated 137 Crime Fighting Fund recruits over three years from April 2000 (47 in 2000–01, 41 in 2001–02 and 49 in 2002–03).

Metropolitan Police

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average age of retirement of police officers was in the Metropolitan Police in each of the last five years; and what the cost to public funds of pensions for all retired staff was in each of the last 10 years.

John Denham: holding answer 27 November 2002
	I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that:
	(a) the average age of retirement of police officers was in the Metropolitan Police:
	
		
			  Average Age 
		
		
			 1997–98 52.3 
			 1998–99 52.6 
			 1999–2000 52.6 
			 2000–01 52.2 
			 2001–02 52.5 
		
	
	(b) the net cost of pensions for police officers and civil staff and dependent pensions, death benefits and pension transfer (comprising pensions paid, lump sums, widows and widowers payments) of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was as follows.
	
		£000 
		
			  MPS net pensions total 
		
		
			 1992–93 127,698 
			 1993–94 144,923 
			 1994–95 178,331 
			 1995–96 174,062 
			 1996–97 208,457 
			 1997–98 229,585 
			 1998–99 253,074 
			 1999–2000 254,528 
			 2000–01 259,673 
			 2001–02 280,872

Metropolitan Police

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the detection rate was in the Metropolitan police area for each of the last three years; and what guidance he gives for estimating detection rates.

John Denham: holding answer 27 November 2002
	The requested details are given in the table.
	
		Percentage 
		
			 Metropolitan police 
			 Year ending March Detection rate(24) 
		
		
			 1999–2000(25) 16 
			 2000–01(26) 15 
			 2001–02 14 
		
	
	(24) Detection rates: the ratio of offences detected in a year to offences recorded in the year.
	(25) There was a change in the guidance for counting detections on 1 April 1999 (See below). Detection rates after this date are therefore not directly comparable with previous years.
	(26) On 1 April 2000, the Metropolitan police transferred parts of its area to three surrounding forces; Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey. This boundary change would have affected the number of offences recorded and detected by the Metropolitan police. The figure given here incorporates the effects of the boundary change.
	The counting rules for detections introduced on 1 April 1999 provide more precise and rigorous criteria for recording a detection, with the underlying emphasis on the successful result of a police investigation. The most significant of these criteria is that there must be significant evidence to charge the suspect with a crime (whether or not a charge is actually imposed) so that, if given in court, it would be likely to result in a conviction. Detections obtained by the interview of a convicted prisoner are no longer included, and any detections where no further police action is taken generally have to be approved by a senior police officer or the Crown Prosecution Service. An offence is said to be cleared up/or detected in the following circumstances:
	(a) a person has been charged or summonsed for the offence.
	(b) a person has been cautioned.
	(c) the court has taken the offence into consideration (TIC).
	(d) where no further action is taken, the case is not proceeded with e.g. because the offender is under the age of criminal responsibility, the offender has died, because the victim or an essential witness is permanently unable to give evidence, or no useful purpose would be served by proceeding with the charge.
	Some offences have much higher detection rates than others because there is a high likelihood of the victim being able to identify the offender, e.g. assault, and the majority of sexual offences. This would have an affect on the overall detection rate, therefore, it would be a better measure to look at specific offence detection rates rather than the overall rate.
	The Home Office counting rules for recorded crime were again revised as from April 2002 in order to incorporate the new National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), which aims to introduce a greater degree of consistency to the ways in which crime is recorded in different police forces and to take a more victim orientated approach to crime recording. The effect will be to increase significantly the number of crimes in the recorded crime count which in turn may affect detection rates. Some police forces introduced the new Standard in advance of national implementation, but figures given above for the Metropolitan police will not be affected as the force adopted the principles of the Standard in April 2002.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 26 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Mohammad Tavs.

David Blunkett: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 27 November 2002.

National Probation Service

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the National Probation Directorate charges each probation area for the maintenance of each computer terminal under the STEPS contract; and how much is paid to STERIA by the National Probation Directorate for the maintenance of each computer terminal as part of the STEPS Contract.

Hilary Benn: The National Probation Directorate currently levies a £485 per desktop recharge on probation areas for the 2002/03 financial year. The recharge figure covers the provision of maintenance, support service charges including the provision.of the helpdesk during normal office hours, and support of the case management system.
	Payments made to the company under the STEPS contract are covered by commercial confidentiality clauses that are normal in such contracts.

National Probation Service

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to prepare a national strategy to promote awareness of and confidence in the work of the National Probation Service; what its terms of reference are; and when it will be published.

Hilary Benn: The promotion of community sentences to the public and the wider work of the National Probation Service are part of the national strategy to increase confidence in the criminal justice system. As part of the Government's 2002 Spending Review the Home Office shares a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target with the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Attorney-General's Office to improve the level of public confidence in the criminal justice system.
	Since, April 2001 the National Probation Service has been developing its communications in particular with sentencers in order to build up confidence in and awareness of, probation work, including new developments in community sentencers that help reduce reoffending. Activities include a video on the Probation Service 'What Works' programme, and plans for publications to disseminate information, and for probation participation at events organised for magistrates and judges.
	This work is co-ordinated and funded by the National Probation Directorate, but much of the communication at local level occurs between local probation areas and local benches and Crown courts.
	An action plan, bringing together the media strategy, internal communications and communications with sentencers, will be published in spring 2003. Future work will be informed by recently commissioned public perception research, due for publication in December, which the National Probation Service intends to repeat annually.

Police Arrest Procedures

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the procedures police officers have to undertake once they have arrested a suspect.

John Denham: The Home Office in partnership with the Cabinet Office has conducted a fundamental review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which examined the basic requirements of The Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act and the codes that underlie police procedures.
	Based on the findings and recommendations of this report, the following changes are proposed in the Criminal Justice Bill:
	We will give police officers the option to offer an arrested person street bail. At an officer's discretion, s/he would be able to release an arrested person on immediate bail at the scene of the crime on the condition that they must attend a specified police station at a specified time in the future. This allows them to prioritise their work load to attend to more serious crime and to put the necessary arrangements in place before they interview the person (eg where an appropriate adult will need to be in attendance with a juvenile).
	The time-consuming requirement to list a detained person's property will be amended so that the custody officer would secure all possessions in a sealable property bag and only make a few supporting comments about the contents if necessary. This and any subsequent access would be done in the presence of the detained person. This has the potential to save resources without compromising protections.
	We propose to extend the circumstances in which a review of detention could be done by telephone. It would no longer be obligatory for the reviewing officer to conduct them in person and would ultimately enable officers to overcome the time restrictions that hinder the process.
	In addition, section 38 of the Police Reform Act 2002, which is due to be implemented on 2 December, will enable chief officers of police to designate suitably skilled and trained support staff to exercise certain police powers as detention officers, investigating officers and escort officers. Enabling civilians to exercise certain police powers will help to free-up police officers for patrol and increase police visibility. This is consistent with a number of recommendations arising from the Policing Bureaucracy Taskforce which was commissioned to give a Police Service view of what could be done to tackle the administrative burdens and inefficient working practices which keep police officers off the streets.

Police Investigations

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations in the last year resulted in the police taking no further action; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: During 2001–02, 1,291,396 recorded offences were detected by the police of which 199,567 1 (15 per cent.) were detected with no further action by the police. This means that 4 per cent. of all recorded crime is detected in this way. More detailed information on method of detection is published in table 8.02 of XCrime in England and Wales 2001–02". A copy of this publication is available in the Library.
	The figures for crimes detected with no further action by the police above exclude those undetected crimes that are not investigated beyond initial reporting.
	The current methods of detection are:
	Charge/summons
	Caution
	Taken into consideration; and
	Other (no further action)
	The XOther" category are those in which the case is not proceeded with –ie there is no legal sanction against the offender.
	1 This figure excludes detections for Durham, which are not broken down by method of detection, and thus represent something of an under-estimate.

Police Numbers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are attached to each Basic Command Unit in England and Wales.

John Denham: Information on the number of officers in each Basic Command Unit (BCU) is provided annually (31 March) by each police force to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. The tables setting out the position for 31 March 2002 have been placed in the Library.
	Policing by each BCU would additionally be supported by officers deployed to other operational roles, such as traffic officers, police support units and dog and mounted sections.

Police Technology

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the development of less lethal technologies for use by the police.

John Denham: The Home Office's Police Scientific Development Branch have published two reports, in April 2001 and November 2001, detailing their research into less lethal technologies for the police.

Previous Convictions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the changes his proposals for revealing previous convictions to a jury will make to the law on similar fact evidence.

Hilary Benn: The Government proposes to place the admissibility of evidence of previous misconduct on a statutory basis in a Criminal Justice Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 21 November. Our proposals will ensure that all evidence of bad character, including previous convictions, is admissible where it is relevant to a matter at issue in a trial. This will represent a fundamental change to the current law on previous misconduct, including the similar fact rule. There will be a discretion to exclude evidence of bad character if its prejudicial effect exceeds its probative value. However, the proposed scheme will create a clearly inclusionary approach under which relevant bad character evidence will not be excluded unless the court is satisfied that there is good reason to do so.
	Our proposals will also offer new protection to witnesses, to guard against unnecessarily wide ranging and humiliating attacks on their character. The current rules offer no such protection.

Prison Deaths

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inquests into deaths in (a) police and (b) prison custody resulted in a verdict of neglect in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: The Home Office publishes annual statistics of deaths in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police. There have been no inquest verdicts of neglect but a number where neglect has been a contributory factor, which are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year Total number of deaths in police custody Number of inquest verdicts where neglect was a contributory factor Inquest verdicts Inquest verdicts awaited 
		
		
			 1992 48 0 — 0 
			 1993 31 0 — 0 
			 1994 39 0 — 0 
			 1995–96 50 2 1. Accidental death contributed to by neglect 2. Natural causes contributed to by neglect 0 
			 1996–97 57 2 1. Drug abuse contributed to by neglect 2. Accidental death—aggravated by neglect 0 
			 1997–98 69 1 Accidental death contributed to by neglect 0 
			 1998–99 67 2 1. Natural causes contributed to by self-neglect 2. Non-dependent abuse of drugs aggravated by neglect 1 
			 1999–2000 70 1 Accident contributed to by neglect 1 
			 2000–01 53 1 Death by misadventure with contributory neglect 8 
			 2001–02 70 0  54 
		
	
	The Prison Service has only been collecting data on neglect riders to inquest verdicts since the beginning of 2001. In that time there have been four inquest verdicts with neglect riders. All four verdicts were returned in 2002, three of them referring to deaths in 2001. This does not include one case of natural causes aggravated by self-neglect.

Prison Hospital Beds

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons do not have (a) in-patient beds and (b) 24 hour nursing care.

Hilary Benn: Health services in the following prisons are based on primary care and have no in-patient beds or 24 hour nursing care:
	Acklington,
	Albany,
	Ashwell,
	Askham Grange,
	Blantyre House,
	Blundeston,
	Brockhill,
	Buckley Hall,
	Camp Hill,
	Channing's Wood,
	Coldingley,
	Cookham Wood,
	Dover,
	Downview,
	Drake Hall,
	Durham (Female),
	East Sutton Park,
	Erlestoke,
	Everthorpe,
	Featherstone,
	Ford,
	Guy's Marsh,
	Haslar,
	Haverigg,
	Hewell Grange,
	Highpoint South,
	Hollesley Bay Colony,
	Huntercombe,
	Kingston,
	Kirkham,
	Kirklevington Grange,
	Lancaster,
	Latchmere House,
	Leyhill,
	Lindholme,
	Littlehey,
	Lowdham Grange,
	Maidstone,
	Moorland Open (Hatfield),
	Morton Hall,
	The Mount,
	North Sea Camp,
	Portland,
	Ranby,
	Reading,
	Rochester,
	Send,
	Shepton Mallet,
	Shrewsbury,
	Spring Hill,
	Stafford,
	Standford Hill,
	Stocken,
	Sudbury,
	Swinfen Hall,
	Thorn Cross,
	Usk/Prescoed,
	The Verne,
	Wayland,
	Wealstun,
	Weare,
	Wellingborough,
	Werrington,
	Whatton,
	Wymott.

Prison Nurses

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) nurses and (b) prisoners there are in each prison in the UK; and what the ratio is of nurses to prisoners.

Hilary Benn: The information available for England and Wales is set out in the table. It relates only to nursing staff or other staff with nursing experience working in prison health care that are employed by the Prison Service. Information about the numbers of prisoners in each establishment in England and Wales is available in the Home Office quarterly publication XPrison Population Brief", a copy of which is on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prisons1 .html. Matters concerning Scotland are for the devolved administration to answer. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
	
		Nurses and health care officers in prison establishments as at 31 October 2002
		
			 Area Est. Group Principal officer Senior officer Prison officer Nursing grades 
		
		
			 East Midlands (North) 
			  
			 Lincoln 1 4 6 6 
			 North Sea Camp1 
			 Nottingham 2  4 13 
			 Ranby  1 5 1 
			 Sudbury  1  2 
			 Whatton1 
			 East Midlands (North) Total 3 6 15 24 
			  
			 East Midlands (South) Ashwell4 
			 Gartree 1 2 6 6 
			 Glen Parva 2  2 31 
			 Leicester 1 1 3 12 
			 Onley   2 10 
			 Stocken  1  6 
			 Wellingborough5 
			 East Midlands (South) Total 4 4 13 74 
			  
			 Eastern 
			 Bedford  1 1 11 
			 Blundeston   2 12 
			 Chelmsford 1 2 1 16 
			 Grendon  5 3 6 
			 Highpoint  1 1 7 
			 Littlehey  1 2 5 
			 Norwich 1 2 5 18 
			 The Mount  1  6 
			 Wayland  1 3 3 
			 Eastern Total 2 14 18 74 
			  
			 High Security Prisons 
			 Belmarsh 1 3 5 37 
			 Durham  1 6 24 
			 Frankland  2 11 8 
			 Full Sutton 1 4 4 4 
			 Long Lartin   2 15 
			 Wakefield 1 3 1 13 
			 Whitemoor  2 6 9 
			 Woodhill 1 3 13 12 
			 High Security Prisons Total 4 18 48 122 
			  
			 HQ 
			 Area off—Kent, Surrey, Sussex1 
			 HQ1 
			 Standards Audit Unit 2   1 
			 Training and Development 1   1 
			 HQ Total 3 0 0 4 
			  
			 Juvenile Establishments 
			 Hollesley Bay  1 2 4 
			 Huntercombe   3 2 
			 Werrington 1 1 2 6 
			 Wetherby  1 1 9 
			 Juvenile Establishments Total 1 3 8 21 
			  
			 Kent, Surrey and Sussex 
			 Blantyre House   1 1 
			 Canterbury 1 1 4 3 
			 Coldingley  1 1 2 
			 Dover 1  1 4 
			 Elmley 1 2 7 9 
			 Ford  1  2 
			 Highdown 1 2  16 
			 Lewes  2 3 7 
			 Maidstone  1 1 3 
			 Rochester 1 1 4 4 
			 Standford Hill  1 2 
			 Swaleside 1 1 1 23 
			 Kent, Surrey and Sussex Total 6 13 25 63 
			 London 
			 Brixton 1 4 13 18 
			 Feltham 2  2 23 
			 Latchmere House   1  
			 Pentonville  2 5 36 
			 Wandsworth 1 3 3 32 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 2 2 11 30 
			 London Total 6 11 35 139 
			 North London 
			 Acklington   1 7 
			 Castington  1  13 
			 Deerbolt12 
			 Holme House 1 2 4 21 
			 Kirklevington2 
			 North East Total 1 3 5 55 
			  
			 North West 
			 Buckley Hall 
			 Garth 2 1 9 13 
			 Haverigg  1 1 3 
			 Hindley 1 1 8 15 
			 Kirkham   1 3 
			 Lancaster 
			 Lancaster Farms22 
			 Liverpool 1 9 26 31 
			 Manchester 4 1 1 25 
			 Preston 1 3 13 8 
			 Risley  1 1 13 
			 Thorn Cross  1 2  
			 North West Total 9 18 62 123 
			  
			 South West 
			 Bristol  1 4 16 
			 Channings Wood 1 1 2 2 
			 Dartmoor 1 2 3 9 
			 Dorchester  2  8 
			 Erlestoke3 
			 Exeter 2 2 1 18 
			 Gloucestershire 1 1 3 9 
			 Guys Marsh  1 1 3 
			 Leyhill 1  1 3 
			 Portland  2 2 3 
			 The Verne3 
			 Weare2 
			 South West Total 6 12 17 79 
			  
			 Thames Valley and Hampshire 
			 Aylesbury  1 1 9 
			 Bullingdon  1 5 10 
			 Haslar3 
			 Kingston  1 2 1 
			 Parkhurst 1 2 11 15 
			 Reading  1 3 6 
			 Winchester  4 9 10 
			 Thames Valley and Hampshire Total 1 10 31 54 
			  
			 Wales 
			 Cardiff 1 1 5 15 
			 Swansea 1 2 4 12 
			 Usk/Prescoed4 
			 Wales Total 2 3 9 31 
			  
			 West Midlands 
			 Birmingham 1 4 9 14 
			 Brinsford22 
			 Featherstone   2 3 
			 Shrewsbury6 
			 Stafford  1 5 2 
			 Stoke Heath14 
			 Swifen Hall  1 1 1 
			 West Midlands Total 1 6 17 62 
			 Women's Prisons and YOIs 
			 Askham Grange3 
			 Brockhill10 
			 Bullwood Hall11 
			 Cookham Wood5 
			 Drake Hall6 
			 East Sutton Park2 
			 Eastwood Park   1 14 
			 Foston Hall10 
			 Highpoint North  1 1 14 
			 Holloway38 
			 Low Newton 1  1 12 
			 Morton Hall1 
			 New Hall20 
			 Send4 
			 Styal23 
			 Women's Prisons and YOIs Total 1 1 3 173 
			  
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 Everthorpe  1  2 
			 Hull  1 8 18 
			 Leeds  3 11 37 
			 Lindholme  1 2 7 
			 Moorland 1 3 9 7 
			 Wealstun  1  4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside Total 1 10 30 75 
			  
			 Grand Total 51 132 336 1,173

Prison Sentences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of cases heard in (a) magistrates and (b) Crown courts resulted in a sentence of imprisonment in each of the Criminal Justice System areas in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: The information requested is shown in the table for England and Wales, 2000.
	Statistics for 2001 will be available in December.
	
		Magistrates Courts
		
			 of which: 
			 Criminal justice system area Defendants proceeded against(27) Sentenced(28) Given immediate custody Percentage given immediate custody (30) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 49,754 36,307 1,728 4.8 
			 Bedfordshire 16,937 12,644 983 7.8 
			 Cambridgeshire 12,171 9,720 582 6.0 
			 Cheshire 32,419 25,887 1,348 5.2 
			 Cleveland 23,857 17,972 1,013 5.6 
			 Cumbria 16,482 13,282 539 4.1 
			 Derbyshire 31,688 24,739 1,326 5.4 
			 Devon and Cornwall 42,993 32,511 1,378 4.2 
			 Dorset 19,366 14,563 877 6.0 
			 Durham 18,906 14,243 899 6.3 
			 Essex 54,044 42,305 2,000 4.7 
			 Gloucestershire 19,003 13,992 497 3.6 
			 Greater Manchester 142,015 108,632 4,860 4.5 
			 Hampshire 57,713 44,937 1,988 4.4 
			 Hertfordshire 27,576 20,431 758 3.7 
			 Humberside 28,820 22,746 1,475 6.5 
			 Kent 34,673 26,026 1,794 6.9 
			 Lancashire 66,718 47,601 2,116 4.4 
			 Leicestershire 35,195 26,592 1,408 5.3 
			 Lincolnshire 22,757 17,990 550 3.1 
			 Merseyside 53,400 38,661 2,548 6.6 
			 Metropolitan police (31) 242,946 187,649 12,177 6.5 
			 Norfolk 17,642 14,531 747 5.1 
			 Northamptonshire 20,084 14,235 878 6.2 
			 Northumbria 64,470 48,613 2,026 4.2 
			 North Yorkshire 19,097 14,433 876 6.1 
			 Nottinghamshire 35,972 26,510 1,929 7.3 
			 South Yorkshire 47,474 36,614 2,401 6.6 
			 Staffordshire(32) 
			 Suffolk 18,964 13,931 655 4.7 
			 Surrey 20,466 15,496 418 2.7 
			 Sussex 39,519 28,944 1,472 5.1 
			 Thames Valley 61,646 43,625 1,657 3.8 
			  
			 Warwickshire 18,525 14,905 406 2.7 
			 West Mercia 32,316 24,394 1,157 4.7 
			 West Midlands 114,743 75,711 4,543 6.0 
			 West Yorkshire 105,906 71,113 3,810 5.4 
			 Wiltshire 19,072 14,217 472 3.3 
			  
			 Dyfed Powys 17,878 13,009 433 3.3 
			 Gwent 26,768 20,829 648 3.1 
			 North Wales 21,009 16,657 867 5.2 
			 South Wales 56,107 40,252 2,015 5.0 
			  
			 Total England and Wales 1,835,084 1,367,951 72,018 5.3 
		
	
	
		The Crown Court
		
			 of which: 
			 Criminal Justice System area Defendants tried Sentenced(29) Given immediate custody Percentage given immediate custody (30) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 1,858 1,392 707 50.8 
			 Bedfordshire 652 472 330 69.9 
			 Cambridgeshire 783 568 379 66.7 
			 Cheshire 1,431 1,103 702 63.6 
			 Cleveland 932 737 470 63.82 
			 Cumbria 607 480 274 57.1 
			 Derbyshire 1,346 1,029 592 57.5 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,399 1,030 549 53.3 
			 Dorset 679 503 316 62.8 
			 Durham 715 580 337 58.1 
			 Essex 1,100 892 527 59.1 
			 Gloucestershire 414 328 155 47.3 
			 Greater Manchester 5,677 4,316 2,515 58.3 
			 Hampshire 2,522 1,753 958 54.6 
			 Hertfordshire 879 628 431 68.6 
			 Humberside 1,081 926 586 64.42 
			 Kent 2,316 1,684 1,049 62.3 
			 Lancashire 2,509 2,018 1,240 61.4 
			 Leicestershire 1,350 1,064 621 58.4 
			 Lincolnshire 634 510 272 53.3 
			 Merseyside 2,711 1,953 1,255 64.3 
			 Metropolitan police(31) 12,987 8,391 5,327 63.5 
			 Norfolk 848 639 362 56.7 
			 Northamptonshire 613 525 384 73.1 
			 Northumbria 2,137 1,765 927 52.5 
			 North Yorkshire 932 734 423 57.6 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,103 1,649 966 58.6 
			 South Yorkshire 2,448 2,017 1,189 58.9 
			 Staffordshire (32) 1,170 942 611 64.9 
			 Suffolk 664 497 309 62.2 
			 Surrey 600 437 274 62.7 
			 Sussex 1,651 1,280 862 67.3 
			 Thames Valley 1,425 1,066 710 66.6 
			  
			 Warwickshire 308 273 199 72.9 
			 West Mercia 1,138 905 602 66.5 
			 West Midlands 5,621 4,259 2,525 59.3 
			 West Yorkshire 4,643 3,560 2,065 58.0 
			 Wiltshire 297 251 173 68.9 
			 
			 Dyfed Powys 451 316 159 50.3 
			 Gwent 905 720 415 57.6 
			 North Wales 586 436 299 68.6 
			 South Wales 2,307 1,770 1,113 62.9 
			  
			 Total England and Wales 75,429 56,398 34,169 60.6 
		
	
	(27) Includes only prosecutions against defendants completed in magistrates' courts including those committed for sentence to the Crown Court.
	(28) Includes those sentenced in the magistrates' court and committed for sentence to the Crown Court.
	(29) Excludes offenders committed for sentence.
	(30) Expressed as a percentage of those sentenced.
	(31) Includes City of London.
	(32) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates' courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the England and Wales figures only.

Prisoners (Drug Taking)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what punishments are given to prisoners who, by urine test, are discovered to have taken (a) heroin and (b) cannabis.

Hilary Benn: Punishments vary according to the discipline record of the prisoner concerned and local factors, such as the extent of any drug problems within the prison. A urine test showing a hard drug, such as heroin, will often attract a punishment of additional days. A lesser punishment, including loss of privileges or loss of earnings, would be more likely for a test showing cannabis.

Prisons (Mother and Baby Units)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women's prisons provide mother and baby units, and what the capacity is of those units.

Hilary Benn: There are four prison mother and baby units covering England and Wales. They are at Holloway in London, New Hall near Wakefield, Styal in Cheshire, and Askham Grange, an open prison in York. These provide a total of 68 places.
	Two new units are also under construction. One is at Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire and the other at Askham Grange. These will provide an extra 22 places.
	Two new build prisons at Ashford and Peterborough will also have accommodation for mothers and babies.

Projects (Lincolnshire)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department has allocated to projects in (a) North East Lincolnshire and (b) North Lincolnshire since 1997, broken down by departmental initiatives.

John Denham: The table outlines projects that have been funded in both North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.
	
		
			  Project Amount per year (£) Total (£) 
		
		
			 North East Lincolnshire Partnership Development Fund 2000–03 64,000/64,000/58,500 186,500 
			  Small Retailers in Deprived Areas 2001–03 12,135/24,309 36,444 
			  Freeman Street CCTV 2001–02 177,000 177,000 
			  North East Lincolnshire CCTV Control Room 2001–02 175,750 175,750 
			  Safer Communities Initiative 2002–03 79,110 79,110 
			  Communities Against Drugs 2001–03 188,500/188,500 377,000 
			  Reducing Burglary Initiative (Grimsby) 2000–01 544,752 544,752 
			 Total   1,576,556 
			  
			 North Lincolnshire Partnership Development Fund 2000–03 44,000/44,000/40,200 128,200 
			  Small Retailers in Deprived Areas 2001–03 10,000/20,000 30,000 
			  Ashby Town Centre CCTV 1999–2000 64,500 64,500 
			  Albert Mason CCTV Scheme 2001–02 189,244 189,244 
			  Safer Communities Initiative 2002–03 51,253 51,253 
			  Communities Against Drugs 2001–03 132,100/132,100 264,200 
			  Targeted Policing Initiative R2—Multi Agency Problem Solving Project 2001–03 80,000/268,000 348,000 
			 Total   1,075,397 
			 Overall spend   2,651,953 
		
	
	In addition to this, mainstream funding of £391.6 million has been allocated to Lincolnshire for policing since 1997. Police resources are allocated between all 43 forces in England and Wales according to a formula that allocates funding to provide a standard level of service. It is then a matter for the Police Authority to set a budget and the Chief Constable to determine how resources should be used, taking local views into account wherever possible.

Reoffenders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women reoffended after release from prison in 2001–02.

Hilary Benn: Self-reported reoffending rates are not currently measured. However reconviction rates for persons released from prison are published annually as National Statistics. Two year reconviction rates for persons released from prison in 2001–02 will not be available until 2004–05.

Resettlement Pathfinder Projects

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the interim results are from the evaluation, under the Crime Reduction Programme, of the resettlement pathfinder projects which run from January 2000 until April; and what plans he has for further investment in support for work with discharged prisoners.

Hilary Benn: An initial application for advice on the work piloted by resettlement pathfinders has already been submitted to the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel (formerly the Joint Accreditation Panel). The response from the panel was encouraging but indicated that further developmental work was required specifically in relation to young adult offenders, women and minority ethnic offenders. To allow for this further work to proceed the three current resettlement pathfinders (Parc, Hull and Lewes) have been extended and are scheduled to run to at least the autumn of 2003.
	The core programme (For-A-Change) has now been piloted with a young adult offender group and plans are being developed to establish a new pathfinder project to be delivered to short-term female prisoners. The programme material is to be reviewed to ensure that it addresses the specific needs of minority ethnic offenders and those with low levels of literacy.
	To ensure that this work adequately reflects recent national reports on resettlement published by the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) and jointly by the probation and prisons inspectorates, a joint prison/probation service project board has been established. This board will focus on the needs of short-term prisoners (those serving less than 12 months).
	The Criminal Justice Bill, published last week, includes proposed legislation for the introduction of 'custody plus'. The experience gained through the delivery of the current resettlement pathfinders will be used to inform planning undertaken by the National Probation Service and the prison services for the introduction of this new sentence.
	The report of the resettlement pathfinders evaluation, which will give interim findings, is currently being prepared for publication.

Sex Offenders

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sex offender orders, (b) disqualification orders and (c) restraining orders are in place, and what assessment his Department has made of their effectiveness.

Hilary Benn: There have been 173 sex offender orders made in England and Wales between 1 December 1998 and 31 March 2002.
	Information on disqualification orders and restraining orders, introduced in 2001 are not yet available.
	Paper 155 in the Police Research Series, published in the summer of 2002: XThe Police Perspective on Sex Offender Orders: A preliminary review of policy and practice" showed that the police found sex offender orders to be a useful tool and that orders were perceived to be a practical mechanism for a multi-agency approach to the management of high-risk sex offenders.
	The Police Reform Act 2002 contained a number of changes to improve the effectiveness and flexibility of sex offender orders. This included the introduction of interim sex offender orders. Interim orders will enable arrangements to be put in place to protect the public before a decision on a full order has been taken by the Court. The changes will be implemented on 2 December and we have issued new guidance to the police and courts on using sex offender orders. Additionally, on 19 November we published our proposals for further legislation in this area in the Command Paper, XProtecting the Public." In relation to sex offenders, these proposals include:
	Registered offenders will be required to confirm annually and in person at their local police station that the information held about them is still up to date.
	A new order to make those convicted of sex offences overseas register their details when they come to the United Kingdom.
	Reducing the period within which a sex offender must notify the police of change of name or address from 14 days to three.
	Offenders will be required to provide their National Insurance details when registering. This will make it easier to identify and find those offenders who try to evade the registration requirements.

Women Prisoners

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) main categories of offence for women prisoners and (b) re-offending rates for drug offences among women prisoners were in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: Information requested on main offence categories of women is shown in the table.
	
		Women first received into prisons in England and Wales in 2001, by offence type and type of first reception
		
			 Offence group Total Untried Convicted unsentenced Sentenced Non-criminal 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 4,318 561 191 557 9 
			 Sexual offences 29 10 4 15 — 
			 Burglary 527 357 75 95 — 
			 Robbery 395 231 43 120 1 
			 Theft and handling 4,587 1,350 1,715 1,522 — 
			 Fraud and forgery 678 162 117 399 — 
			 Drugs offences 1,452 763 234 455 — 
			 Other offences 2,981 671 530 980 — 
			 Offences not recorded 997 241 255 501 — 
			 Total 12,164 4,346 3,164 4,644 10 
		
	
	Re-offending rates are not normally measured as they rely on the self-reporting of offending by offenders. Such an approach can lead to questions over the reliability of data based on individuals' recollection and willingness to impart their offending behaviour to an official source.
	However two-year reconviction rates for females released from prison after serving a sentence for a standard list drug offence are available. The rates are shown in the table.
	
		Two year reconviction rates for females discharged from prison after serving sentence for a standard list drugs offence.
		
			 Year of discharge Number of females discharged after serving a sentence for a standard list drugs offence Percentage reconvicted within two years for any standard list offence 
		
		
			 1994 244 18 
			 1995 298 19 
			 1996 428 26 
			 1997 554 26 
			 1998 700 25

Women Prisoners

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women are in prison; and of these, how many (a) are on remand, (b) are from black and ethnic minority groups and (c) have no previous convictions.

Hilary Benn: At 31 October 2002, there were 4,427 females in prison. Of these, 984 were on remand and 1,316 were from ethnic minority groups.
	Information on the sentenced prison population held on 30 June 2000 has been analysed by the number of standard list offences for which a prisoner had received a conviction. On that date, 32 per cent. of females held in prison in England and Wales were known to have no previous convictions prior to the sentence which resulted in imprisonment. In addition, criminal histories for a further 11 per cent. of females could not be located on the Home Office Offenders Index.

Young Offenders

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Lord Chancellor about his plans for the bailing of persistent young offenders.

Hilary Benn: Home Office Ministers frequently discuss criminal justice matters with the Lord Chancellor and other Government colleagues. We decided this year to implement extended secure remand powers in respect of 12–16 year olds who repeatedly commit imprisonable offences while on bail or remand, together with bail tagging for juveniles. We have also funded an expansion of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme. Together these changes give the courts much more choice where persistent young offenders are facing trial.

Young Offenders

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of self-harm there were in young offender institutions in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many young offenders took their own lives while in custody in each year since 1997.

Hilary Benn: The information requested is in the tables. Table 1 covers the 79 self-inflicted juvenile and young offender deaths between 1997 and 20 November 2002. Table 2 covers the number of recorded incidents of self-harm by juveniles and young offenders between 1998 and 30 June 2002, data on self-harm in this format not having been available before 1998.
	
		Table 1. Showing the number of self-inflicted deaths of juveniles and young offenders in custody between 01.01.1997 and 20.11.2002
		
			  Juveniles (15–17 years) Young Offenders (18–20 years) Total under 21 years (juveniles and young offenders) 
		
		
			 1997 0 9 9 
			 1998 3 11 14 
			 1999 2 13 15 
			 2000 3 13 16 
			 2001 3 10 13 
			 2002 2 10 12 
			 Total 13 66 79 
		
	
	The Prison Service employs the term Xself-inflicted death" which includes all those deaths where it appears the person may have acted specifically to take his/her own life.
	
		Table 2. Recorded incidents of self-harm among juveniles and young offenders in custody, 1 January1998 to 30 June 2002
		
			  Juveniles (15–17 years) Young offenders (18–20 years) Total under-21 years (juveniles and young Offenders) 
		
		
			 1998 252 746 998 
			 1999 205 825 1,030 
			 2000 288 1,069 1,357 
			 2001 402 1,343 1,745  
			 2002 260 739 999 
			 Total 1,407 4,722 6,129 
		
	
	The Prison Service, with the support of the Youth Justice Board, is currently developing a suicide and self-harm prevention strategy. This is being taken forward progressively through a three year programme, which commenced in April 2001. Efforts are being targeted where the risks are highest within a broad preventative approach. The prisoners most at risk—in local prisons, on remand, in the early weeks and months of custody—will be better identified and cared for by better trained and supported staff. We aim to encourage a supportive culture in prisons based on good staff-prisoner relationships, a constructive regime and a physically safe environment. Six pilot prisons will act as the test bed for the full range of new safer custody policies and standards, and will be independently evaluated to determine which elements should subsequently be rolled out to the wider prison estate.

Young Offenders

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of young people are young offenders (a) in Staffordshire and (b) on average in England.

Hilary Benn: 4.2 per cent. of all young people (aged 10–17 inclusive) in Staffordshire were convicted or dealt with by police reprimand or warning in 2001. The proportion for England as a whole was 3.2 per cent.

Young Offenders

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been evaluated by his Department on the most appropriate method of deterrent to prevent young offenders from re-offending.

Hilary Benn: The Home Office and the Youth Justice Board (YJB) are currently evaluating the overall impact of the justice youth reforms and their component programmes.
	Statistics published in June this year for offenders dealt with in July 2000, showed a 14.6 per cent. reduction in reconviction rates compared with 1997. Independent evaluation reports have been published: on Youth Offending Teams, the introduction of the Referral Order, reconvictions after Final Warnings, and Parenting programmes. The YJB expects shortly to publish further evaluation reports on cognitive behaviour, mentoring, drugs and alcohol, education, training and employment, prevention, and interventions in support of final warnings.

HEALTH

Spectacle Vouchers

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the value of vouchers for the purchase of spectacles for people on low incomes; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Optical voucher values are reviewed every year and we will be making an announcement about the 2003–04 rates shortly.

Recruitment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to encourage private recruitment agencies to sign up to the Government's guidelines on banning the recruitment of nurses from developing countries.

John Hutton: The Department has written to those commercial agencies it is aware of, asking them to provide references from national health service and other customers confirming compliance with the code of practice. The code of practice states that developing countries should not be targeted for recruitment.
	The list of agencies who are working in line with the principles of the code of practice appears on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/international- recruitment and NHS organisations are strongly advised to refer to the list when establishing new contracts.
	The Department will write again to those agencies who have not replied and to any other agencies brought to its attention.

Recruitment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the South African health department regarding the recruitment of nurses to the UK.

John Hutton: Departmental officials visited South Africa last year to share the United Kingdom's strategy and position on international recruitment and co-operation. The South African Ministry of health has asked for the Department's assistance with workforce evelopment and the establishment of a chief nursing officer post. Officials are due to visit South Africa in February 2003, to meet with senior officials of the Department of Health South Africa.

A&E Waiting Times

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the single longest wait recorded in an accident and emergency department has been this year.

David Lammy: This information is not available.

Accidental Deaths

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accidental deaths of people on low incomes have occurred in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply. 
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Air Ambulances

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on sponsorship arrangements for air ambulances.

David Lammy: In England, there are 12 air ambulance services provided by 12 independent air ambulance charities. Fund raising for air ambulances is organised by independent local charities. In most cases the national health services also supports the services by providing fully trained paramedics to crew the aircraft when they respond to emergencies. In addition, in 2001–02 the Government allocated £1.3 million to five of the 12 charities. Consideration is being given to further Government funding in 2002–03.

Cancelled Operations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in each of the last 10 years (a) as a total figure and (b) as a percentage of all patients treated.

John Hutton: Information on the total number of operations cancelled are not collected. Figures are collected on the number of patients whose operations are cancelled by the hospital for non-clinical reasons at the last minute. Data were not collected on cancelled operations before 1994–95.
	These data, as a percentage of elective general and acute admissions and first finished consultant episodes, are provided in the table.
	
		
			 Year Quarter Number of operations cancelled at the last minute(33) Cancelled operations as percentage of general and acute elective first FCE admissions 
		
		
			 2002–03 Quarter 1 14,808 l.11 
			   
			 2001–02 Quarter 1 20,833 1.65 
			  Quarter 2 20,901 1.57 
			  Quarter 3 20,036 1.50 
			  Quarter 4 19,973 1.47 
			 Whole year 2001–02  81,743 1.55 
			   
			 2000–01 Quarter 1 17,033 1.27 
			  Quarter 2 16,965 1.24 
			  Quarter 3 18,844 1.35 
			  Quarter 4 24,976 1.78 
			 Whole year 2000–01  77,818 1.41 
			
			 1999–2000 Quarter 1 12,313 0.93 
			  Quarter 2 12,017 0.90 
			  Quarter 3 15,769 1.18 
			  Quarter 4 20,143 1.46 
			 Whole year 1999–2000  60,242 1.12 
			 
			 1998–99 Quarter 1 12,384 0.97 
			  Quarter 2 11,470 0.87 
			  Quarter 3 14,611 1.07 
			  Quarter 4 17,685 1.32 
			 Whole year 1998–99  56,150 1.06 
			 
			 1997–98 Quarter 1 12,019 1.01 
			  Quarter 2 11,550 0.95 
			  Quarter 3 12,476 1.02 
			  Quarter 4 14,460 1.18 
			 Whole year 1997–98  50,505 1.04 
			 
			 1996–97 Quarter 1 11,595 0.98 
			  Quarter 2 11,055 0.90 
			  Quarter 3 13,023 1.06 
			  Quarter 4 16,374 1.38 
			 Whole year 1996–97  52,047 1.08 
			 1995–96 Quarter 1 11,860 1.04 
			  Quarter 2 11,457 0.97 
			  Quarter 3 14,514 1.19 
			  Quarter 4 16,652 1.34 
			 Whole year 1995–96  54,483 1.14 
			 
			 1994–95 Quarter 1 11,603 1.08 
			  Quarter 2 10,186 0.91 
			  Quarter 3 11,874 1.02 
			  Quarter 4 14,466 1.22 
			 Whole year 1994–95  48,129 1.06 
		
	
	(33) Operations cancelled at the last minute are the number of patients whose operations are cancelled on the day patients are due to arrive or after arrival in hospital or on the day of their operation.

Cancelled Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled (a) on the day of admission and (b) prior to admission for non-clinical reasons in each quarter since June 2001, broken down by NHS hospital trust.

John Hutton: Data are collected on the number of operations cancelled by the hospital for non-clinical reasons on the day patients are due to arrive or after arrival in hospital or on the day of their operation. These data are not broken down into whether an operation was cancelled on the day of admission or prior to admission. These data are available at trust level on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/data—requests.htm.

Community Health Councils

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if it is his policy that Community Health Council staff will not be made redundant until the Community Health Council has been formally abolished;
	(2)  what guidance he plans to give employing authorities on making redundancy payments to Community Health Council staff;
	(3)  if he will offer salary protection in cases where posts for the Clearing House staff are graded at salaries lower than those paid to Community Health Council staff;
	(4)  what the total cost is of making all remaining Community Health Council staff redundant.

David Lammy: The Government takes the view that community health council (CHC) staff have valuable skills which are important to the smooth running of the national health service. We are working closely with the trade unions to ensure every action is being taken to support CHC staff to find suitable alternative employment. This includes the setting up of a clearing house system, training and careers interview facilities.
	We are also currently working with the trade unions and other interested parties to develop a human resources (HR) framework which will provide support to CHC staff and managers. The HR framework will cover a variety of areas including employment options and the role of the clearing house system that will be established to help CHC staff find employment in the NHS family and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH).
	The CPPIH has agreed to advertise all their vacancies through the clearing houses as well as in the national and local press. CHC staff applying for a post with the CPPIH who meet the specific job criteria would be guaranteed an interview.
	The Government currently has no plans to make CHC staff redundant until all employment options have been fully considered. It is therefore not possible to give a redundancy cost at this time.
	Redundancy terms for CHC staff, as strategic health authority (StHA) employees, are covered in Section 45 of the General Whitley Council Handbook or in accordance with the contract of employment for senior and general managers. A copy of the General Whitley Council Handbook is available in the Library.
	Pay protection arrangements for those staff who find suitable alternative employment in a StHA are outlined in Section 48 of the General Whitley Council handbook.
	Where CHC staff find suitable alternative employment in NHS trusts, trusts have the power to recognise previous service in the NHS.

Community Pharmacies

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community pharmacies there were in each health authority in each of the past five years.

David Lammy: Information about the number of community pharmacies in each health authority in England in the past five years has been placed in the Library.

Decontamination Units

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS acute trusts had ordered mobile decontamination facilities and associated protective clothing between receipt of a letter dated 22 October from Dr. David Harper and 7 November.

John Hutton: The Department of Health's chief scientist wrote to the national health service on 22 October to remind all NHS trust chief executives of current policy on this issue and to remind the small percentage of trusts who had yet to place an order.
	A total of seven NHS acute trusts ordered mobile decontamination facilities and associated protective clothing between 22 October and 7 November.

Diabetes

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the national service framework for diabetes.

David Lammy: We shall be publishing the delivery strategy for the diabetes national service framework in the next few weeks.

Doctors' Work Rotas

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of doctors working in shifts on the level of perioperative deaths in NHS hospitals.

John Hutton: Each year the National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths reports on deaths that occurred in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available. There has been no separate assessment of the impact of shift working on the level of perioperative deaths in the national health service. We are however, moving to a position where out of hours cover is provided by more experienced doctors, and this will be supported by our commitment in the NHS Plan to increase the number of consultants and doctors.

Drugs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for health which drugs referred to NICE have been rejected and subsequently subjected to the appeal mechanism; and which of them were successfully approved.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 November 2002
	In total 56 appraisals have reached the stage where an appeal could be received; of these 19 received appeals and seven of these were upheld, six relating to drugs. The thrust of the recommendations changed in one of the appraisals as a result of an appeal, namely Rituximab for follicular non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of individuals with dangerous severe personality disorder in (a) prison and (b) the general population; and what assessment he has made of trends in the number of people with DSPD.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	We estimate that there are between 2,100 and 2,400 individuals who are dangerous as a result of a severe personality disorder (DSPD). The majority of these individuals will be in prison or a secure hospital. We estimate that at any one time 1,400 will be in prison and a further 400 will be detained on court orders under the legal category of psychopathic disorder in secure psychiatric hospitals. We also estimate that a further 300 to 600 men may be living in the community at any one time, of whom most will have been recently detained in prison or hospital.
	There is no information currently available to make an assessment of likely trends in the number of people who are dangerous as a result of severe personality disorder in prison or the general population. However, the number of restricted patients detained in secure hospitals for a psychopathic disorder has remained around 400 for over 10 years.

East Midlands Ambulance Trust

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions the response time to category A calls to the East Midlands Ambulance Trust took (a) over 30 minutes and (b) over one hour, in (i) the county of Rutland and (ii) the Melton borough council area, in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: holding answer 28 November 2002
	Information about ambulance emergency response times to Category A calls is not available specifically for the county of Rutland or the Melton borough council. The latest information available about the proportion of emergency calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene of the reported incident within the Government's target response times for the East Midlands Ambulance National Health Service Trust, and all other ambulance trusts, is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin XAmbulance Services, England 2001–02". A copy of the bulletin is available in the Library and available at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0213.htm.

General Practitioners

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many general practitioners, in each London borough, are operating a closed-list policy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to encourage more general practitioners to set up practice in Inner and Greater London; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The information on closed lists is not held centrally.
	We are committed to expanding the primary care work force both through national and local initiatives. The London work force development confederation has introduced a number of specific programmes to expand the GP work force in London by 225 general practitioners. These include:
	The London Deanery's successful expansion of the number of training places in GP practices for GP Registrars. This year there are an additional 51 training places for GPs in London. Primary care trusts will be able to build on this success by setting up new and more flexible contracts for newly qualified GPs.
	More flexible career opportunities, particularly those designed to retain GPs close to retirement age, are also being put into place by London PCTs including a flexible career scheme which will commence shortly, designed to attract GPs back into practice for part-time working.
	A London wide international recruitment scheme which will commence in 2003 to build on the successful recruitment of 17 French GPs in South East London.

GPs (Age Distribution)

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the age distribution is of general practitioners in (a) Kent and (b) England.

John Hutton: The age distribution of general practitioners in England and Kent Medway Strategic Health Authority as at March 2002 is shown in the table.
	
		All practitioners(34), NHS Plan GPs(35), unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)(36) in Kent and Medway strategic health authority and England as at 31 March 2002 (by April 2002 boundaries) -- Number (headcount)
		
			  Total Under 30 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 54 55 to 59 60 to 64 65 to 69 70 and over Unknown 
		
		
			 England 
			 All practitioners 32,011 1,305 3,557 5,497 6,272 5,376 4,633 3,379 1,419 506 66 1 
			 Percentage  4.1 11.1 17.2 19.6 16.8 14.5 10.6 4.4 1.6 0.2 0.0 
			  
			  of which:
			  
			  Kent and Medway StHA  
			 All practitioners 946 26 77 149 180 176 154 117 56 11 0 0 
			 Percentage  2.7 8.1 15.8 19.0 18.6 16.3 12.4 5.9 1.2 0.0 0.0 
		
	
	(34) All practitioners include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (para 52 SFA), PMS other and GP retainers.
	(35) NHS plan GPs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (para 52 SFA) and PMS others.
	(36) UPEs include GMS unrestricted principles, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.
	(37) Converted to match April 2002 boundaries (formerly East Kent HA and West Kent HA)
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Hospital Transport Scheme

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of the Hospital Transport Scheme was in each of the past five years.

David Lammy: This information is not collected centrally.

Latex Allergy

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department will take to implement the conclusions of the second summit on latex allergy.

John Hutton: The Department of Health has agreed to work closely with the Health and Safety Executive and other key stakeholders to produce new guidance on the use of latex products in the national health service. We expect that this guidance will be published in Health and Safety Week 2003 and will be circulated throughout the NHS.

Mental Health (Nottingham)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist mental health beds for young people are provided by the Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust.

David Lammy: There are 12 specialist mental health beds for young people in Nottinghamshire.

NHS Funding

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding for the NHS per head of population was spent on primary care and secondary care in (a) North Staffordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) on average in England in 2001–02.

John Hutton: Information on the expenditure per weighted head of population on primary, secondary and total healthcare in North Staffordshire Health Authority, West Midlands Region and England is shown in the table.
	
		2001–02 expenditure on primary and secondary healthcare per weighted head of population -- £ per head
		
			  Primary Secondary Total 
		
		
			 North Staffordshire HA 199.86 691.34 891.20 
			 
			 West Midlands region 212.88 616.79 829.67 
			 
			 All England 207.75 603.49 811.24 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. In many health authorities there are factors which distort the expenditure per head. These include:
	the health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission healthcare on behalf of other health bodies;
	and asset revaluations in NHS trusts being funded through health authorities.
	For these reasons expenditure per head cannot be compared reliably between health authorities.
	2. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
	3. Expenditure is taken from audited health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the expenditure on primary, secondary and total healthcare by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust summarisation forms and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. An element of pharmaceutical services expenditure is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.
	4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2001–02 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. This has been removed to provide comparability in the answer as far as possible.
	Sources:
	1. Health authority audited summarisation forms 2001–02
	2. Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2001–02
	3. Weighted population estimates 2001–02
	4. Regional comparisons are all based on those existing in 2001–02

NHS Plus

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clients NHS Plus has served since November 2001; and what has been its total income.

David Lammy: NHS Plus providers are a network of 115 occupational health departments in the national health service in England selling services to non-NHS employers. Each occupational health department is autonomous and their finances are managed by their individual trust. Detailed information on the number of clients and income is not collected centrally.

NHS Trusts

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made on the implications of the deficits of the (a) South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust and (b) Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust.

David Lammy: holding answer 26 November 2002
	Departmental officials in the Directorate of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Midlands and East of England and West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority (StHA) are working closely with both Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust and South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT) to minimise the deficit forecast for the end of the financial year 2002–03. The PCT is conducting a review of services to consider more efficient ways of provision in the acute, community and primary care sectors. As part of the normal monitoring process undertaken by the DHSC and StHA, the organisations are producing longer-term financial strategies within their service development plans for 2003–04 to 2005–06, as required by all health economies nationally.

NHS Trusts (Compacts)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of NHS trusts have signed up to local compacts;
	(2)  what proportion of primary care trusts have signed up to local compacts.

David Lammy: The Department is determined to see all national health service organisations in England signed up to a geographically relevant local compact by 31 March 2004. Information from the NHS in the list shows the following NHS trusts and primary care trusts have signed up to local compacts, as at 29 November 2002.
	NHS trusts and primary care trusts
	Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT
	Bebington and West Wirral PCT
	Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT
	Brighton and Hove PCT
	Camden PCT
	Central Liverpool PCT
	Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospital NHST
	Central Suffolk PCT
	Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHST
	Coventry PCT
	Croydon PCT
	East Staffordshire PCT
	Ellesmere Port and Neston PCT
	Enfield PCT
	Halton PCT
	Kensington and Chelsea PCT
	North Cheshire Hospitals NHST
	North Liverpool PCT
	North Sheffield PCT
	North Warwickshire PCT
	Northampton PCT
	Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT
	Oldham PCT
	Rugby PCT
	Sheffield South West PCT
	Sheffield West PCT
	South Downs Health NHST
	South East Dorset PCT
	South East Sheffield PCT
	South Liverpool PCT
	South Sefton PCT
	South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHST
	South Warwickshire PCT
	South West Dorset PCT
	Southport and Formby PCT
	Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHST
	St. Helens PCT
	Stockport PCT
	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHST
	Wandsworth PCT
	West Lancashire PCT
	West Norfolk PCT
	Wirral Hospital NHST
	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Health Services NHST

Nurses (Recruitment)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which developing countries the NHS has an agreement to recruit nurses (a) directly and (b) through commercial agencies.

John Hutton: The Government have agreements to recruit nurses from the Philippines, India and Indonesia. University hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire national health service trust have an agreement to run a pilot to recruit nurses from China.
	In addition, NHS employers are able to establish exchange programmes for nurses from developing countries, in line with the guidance on nursing recruitment.
	The NHS does not work with commercial agencies to recruit directly from developing countries.

Nurses (Redbridge)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he intends to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses in Redbridge.

John Hutton: The National Health Service set targets to increase the workforce in the NHS. Figures released earlier this year show that between September 1999 and September 2001, an extra 20,740 nurses joined the health service.
	New targets were set by the Government, in the 2002 budget, to recruit 35,000 nurses and this will become part of the continuing drive to recruit more health professionals for the NHS.
	Both Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust and Redbridge Primary Care Trust are actively pursuing policies to recruit additional nursing staff. There has been an increase of eight extra nurses in primary care and community settings.
	Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust has had an active international programme in place since 2001 and currently 85 nurses from the Philippines are now working in the trust, with plans to welcome a further cohort next month. 75 per cent. of the recently qualified registered nurses across a range of services have successfully been recruited locally, with an expected 40 newly qualified registered nurses commencing employment within the trust in January 2003.

Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism.

David Lammy: The Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, which was launched by the then Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, in January 1999, makes an important contribution to research in diabetes and other endocrine diseases.

Patient Advocacy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service provides carers with information about the discharge of patients and the support services available to their carers; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Patient advice and liaison services are available to provide a range of information to patients, carers and their families, including information on discharge arrangements and support services. Such information is also available from other units in trusts and through general practitioners.

Pharmacy Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pharmacies participated in the Essential Small Pharmacies Scheme in each of the past five years, broken down according to size of turnover.

David Lammy: The available information is shown in the table. Information about the size of turnover of the pharmacies participating in the essential small pharmacy scheme (ESPS) is not held centrally.
	
		Community pharmacies receiving payment under Essential Small Pharmacies Scheme at 31 March England, 1997 to 2001
		
			 Year end Number of community pharmacies 
		
		
			 31 March 1997 256 
			 31 March 1998 255 
			 31 March 1999 255 
			 31 March 2000 262 
			 31 March 2001 243

Private Health Schemes

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if private health scheme customers can benefit from the use of NHS facilities and medical care; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The first priority of national health service bodies is to treat NHS patients. However, as a way of raising additional income, NHS bodies are permitted to provide accommodation and services privately to patients who undertake to pay for them, or on whose behalf such undertakings are given, provided this does not interfere with their NHS duties. These patients may include customers of private health schemes.

Residential Drug Treatment Centres

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug treatment centres there are in Nottinghamshire.

David Lammy: There is currently one residential rehabilitation centre located in Nottinghamshire. It is a private unit: The Priory Clinic Nottingham, Ransom Road, Nottingham, NG3 5GS.

Sight Tests

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people over 60 have had sight tests in each year since 1999.

David Lammy: The table shows the number of national health service sight tests paid for in England for the years ending 31 March 2000 to 2002.
	
		General Ophthalmic Services: number of NHS sight test paid for by Health authorities in England for patients aged 60 and over
		
			 Year Total number of sight tests (million) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 3.3 
			 2000–01 3.8 
			 2001–02 4.0 
		
	
	Information on the number of people having NHS sight tests is not collected centrally. The number of sight tests can not be equated with the number of people as some groups are advised to have more than one sight test in a year.

Suspended Doctors

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of doctors suspended for over six months are (a) women and (b) from ethnic minorities; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: As of 30 September 2002, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 38 hospital and community medical and hospital dental staff suspended for more than six months. Of these, 10 were women. We do not collect information by ethnic group.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to widen the remit of NHS Plus to include vocational rehabilitation.

David Lammy: NHS Plus providers are a network of 115 occupational health departments in the national health service in England. They provide a wide range of occupational health services, which includes advice on rehabilitation. Occupational health services are a component of vocational rehabilitation and it therefore already falls within the remit of the NHS Plus unit to sell each service to those providing vocational rehabilitation.
	Where possible, NHS Plus will offer support to the Government's latest vocational rehabilitation initiatives, the XHealth, Work and Recovery" programme, led by the Department for Work and Pensions and XPathways to Work: Helping People into Employment", the new Green Paper presented to Parliament on 18 November by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Empty Homes

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty homes each Government Department has disposed of in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000, (c) 2000–01 and (d) 2001–02; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Business Improvement Districts

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements are to be put in place under proposals for business improvement districts for a minimum threshold of businesses voting in the ballot and what safeguards will be put in place for low-turnover businesses to pay the levy.

Christopher Leslie: The rules governing the BID ballot are set out in the Local Government Bill. A successful ballot will have to meet two tests. Firstly, a simple majority of those voting in the BID ballot must vote in favour. Secondly, those voting in favour must represent a majority by rateable value of the hereditaments (rateable properties) of those voting. This Xdual-key" mechanism means that a scheme cannot be forced through by large firms against the wishes of small firms, or vice versa. We do not intend to introduce a third test, namely that for a vote to succeed a set percentage of those entitled to vote must vote in favour. We believe that the Xdual-key" provides sufficient protection for small businesses, including those with a low turnover.

Civil Contingencies

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether his Department's bid to the Capital Modernisation Fund for an additional £217 million to fund extra equipment and training for firefighters for a CBRN emergency has been successful;
	(2)  how many CBRN decontamination facilities have been established since 11 September; and where they are located;
	(3)  how much additional funding has been granted to each fire authority since 11 September 2001 for CBRN training, protection equipment and additional search and rescue equipment.

Christopher Leslie: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers given to the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis) on 2 December 2002, Official Report.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Joan Walley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, with particular reference to Stoke on Trent North.

Tony McNulty: The Coalfields Regeneration Trust is an independent UK wide grant making body launched in 1999 as part of the Government's response to the Coalfield Task Force Report published in 1998. Working with partners, it delivers the social and economic regeneration of the coalfields in England, Scotland and Wales.
	No separate figures are available for the funding of projects by the Trust in the Stoke on Trent North area. However, during its first round of funding (1999–2002) the Coalfields Regeneration Trust made 11 grants with a value of £670,000 to the wider Stoke on Trent area. Since the inception of the second round of funding from April 2002 a further five grants have been made with a value totalling £458,300.
	A wide range of community projects have been supported by these grants including the provision of new community facilities, the refurbishment of former miners welfare facilities and the provision of work based training opportunities to disaffected young people.

Council Tax

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if his Department will fully fund the new discretion to be given to local authorities to reduce council tax on hardship grounds.

Christopher Leslie: No. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) announced on 19 November 2002, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has decided that authorities exercising the proposed new powers to create their own council tax discounts and exemptions will have to meet the costs of these new discounts or exemptions.

Decent Homes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many households owned by councils have met the Government's decent homes target in each local authority;
	(2)  how many homes have reached the decent homes target;
	(3)  how many households in the registered social landlord sector have met the Government's decent homes target.

Tony McNulty: Initial estimates from the 2001 English House Condition Survey are that, at April 2001, 1.6 million local authority and 1 million registered social landlord owned homes met the decent home standard.
	Local authorities' estimates of the number of homes they own that met the standard at April 2002 are mapped out in the following table. The data from the two sources are not directly comparable, as not all local authorities have supplied data and less stock is owned by local authorities in 2002 than 2001.
	
		Homes which met the decent home standard at April 2002(38)
		
			 Stock owning local authority Number 
		
		
			 Adur 2,900 
			 Alnwick 1,400 
			 Amber Valley 1,700 
			 Arun 3,600 
			 Ashfield 4,000 
			 Ashford 5,600 
			 Aylesbury Vale 5,400 
			 Babergh 2,300 
			 Barking and Dagenham 10,800 
			 Barnet 7,000 
			 Barnsley 14,600 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 2,300 
			 Basildon 11,400 
			 Bassetlaw 6,200 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 1,100 
			 Birmingham 15,000 
			 Blaby 2,100 
			 Blackpool 1,300 
			 Blyth Valley 2,100 
			 Bolsover 1,900 
			 Bolton 10,200 
			 Bournemouth 4,700 
			 Bracknell Forest 6,100 
			 Bradford - 
			 Braintree 1,900 
			 Brent 4,300 
			 Brentwood 2,000 
			 Bridgnorth 2,500 
			 Brighton and Hove 3,600 
			 Bristol 14,400 
			 Bromsgrove 3,200 
			 Broxbourne 3,400 
			 Broxtowe 3,500 
			 Bury 5,200 
			 Cambridge 5,800 
			 Camden 7,500 
			 Cannock Chase 1,700 
			 Canterbury 3,400 
			 Caradon 1,400 
			 Carlisle - 
			 Carrick 900 
			 Castle Morpeth 800 
			 Castle Point 1,600 
			 Charnwood 5,600 
			 Chelmsford - 
			 Cheltenham 1,400 
			 Cherwell 2,000 
			 Chesterfield 4,400 
			 Chester-le-Street 5,100 
			 Chorley 3,000 
			 City of London - 
			 Colchester 3,200 
			 Copeland 1,600 
			 Corby 2,900 
			 Craven 900 
			 Crawley 8,500 
			 Crewe and Nantwich - 
			 Croydon 8,700 
			 Dacorum 10,000 
			 Darlington 5,800 
			 Dartford 2,200 
			 Daventry 3,400 
			 Derby 7,700 
			 Derwentshire 4,800 
			 Doncaster 17,300 
			 Dover 3,000 
			 Dudley 17,500 
			 Durham 5,700 
			 Ealing 10,400 
			 Easington 3,900 
			 East Devon 4,400 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 6,900 
			 Eastbourne 1,200 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 4,100 
			 Enfield 8,900 
			 Epping Forest 5,400 
			 Erewash - 
			 Exeter 1,000 
			 Fareham 1,900 
			 Fenland 2,100 
			 Forest Heath 2,700 
			 Forest of Dean - 
			 Gateshead 15,300 
			 Gedling 2,300 
			 Gloucester 2,900 
			 Gosport 2,500 
			 Gravesham 4,400 
			 Great Yarmouth 4,400 
			 Greenwich 8,300 
			 Guildford 5,000 
			 Hackney 1,400 
			 Halton 5,400 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 9,400 
			 Harborough 1,400 
			 Haringey 13,100 
			 Harlow 8,300 
			 Harrogate 2,400 
			 Harrow 4,200 
			 Hartlepool 3,700 
			 Havering 11,700 
			 Herefordshire - 
			 High Peak 1,800 
			 Hillingdon 7,300 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 3,600 
			 Hounslow 4,200 
			 Hyndburn 3,600 
			 Ipswich 5,400 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 Islington 11,900 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,000 
			 Kettering 3,700 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 2,200 
			 Kingston upon Hull 6,900 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,400 
			 Kirklees 8,100 
			 Knowsley - 
			 Lambeth 26,800 
			 Lancaster 4,200 
			 Leeds 33,900 
			 Leicester 6,300 
			 Lewes 2,600 
			 Lewisham 10,300 
			 Lincoln 6,500 
			 Liverpool 8,300 
			 Luton 5,400 
			 Macclesfield 4,200 
			 Maidstone 2,900 
			 Manchester 24,900 
			 Mansfield 1,600 
			 Melton - 
			 Merton 4,100 
			 Mid Bedfordshire - 
			 Mid Devon 2,400 
			 Mid Suffolk 1,800 
			 Middlesbrough 6,000 
			 Milton Keynes 10,000 
			 Mole Valley 3,100 
			 New Forest 2,900 
			 Newark and Sherwood 4,300 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 7,200 
			 Newham 11,500 
			 North Cornwall 1,700 
			 North East Derbyshire 4,800 
			 North East Lincolnshire 6,200 
			 North Hertfordshire 6,100 
			 North Kesteven 2,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 4,100 
			 North Norfolk 2,900 
			 North Shropshire 1,700 
			 North Somerset 4,300 
			 North Tyneside 9,400 
			 North Warwickshire 800 
			 North West Leicestershire 4,600 
			 Northampton 5,000 
			 Norwich 7,200 
			 Nottingham City 18,000 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 3,700 
			 Oadby and Wigston 1,200 
			 Oldham 15,500 
			 Oswestry 1,900 
			 Oxford 3,400 
			 Pendle 2,500 
			 Peterborough 5,900 
			 Plymouth 12,200 
			 Poole 3,200 
			 Portsmouth 7,700 
			 Preston 1,800 
			 Purbeck 1,100 
			 Reading 5,000 
			 Redbridge 3,300 
			 Redditch 6,800 
			 Reigate and Banstead - 
			 Ribble Valley 1,100 
			 Richmondshire 1,400 
			 Rochdale 5,600 
			 Rochford 1,500 
			 Rossendale 3,300 
			 Rotherham 14,900 
			 Rugby 3,900 
			 Runnymede 2,300 
			 Rushcliffe - 
			 Rutland 1,000 
			 Salford 5,700 
			 Salisbury 4,900 
			 Sandwell 8,900 
			 Scarborough 2,800 
			 Sedgefield 6,300 
			 Sedgemoor 2,800 
			 Sefton 9,500 
			 Selby 2,500 
			 Sheffield 17,100 
			 Shepway 2,300 
			 Slough 3,500 
			 Solihull 11,900 
			 South Bedfordshire 4,900 
			 South Cambridgeshire - 
			 South Derbyshire 1,800 
			 South Gloucestershire 5,700 
			 South Holland 2,300 
			 South Kesteven 5,800 
			 South Lakeland 2,800 
			 South Norfolk 2,500 
			 South Northamptonshire - 
			 South Tyneside 14,400 
			 Southampton 5,700 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4,300 
			 Southwark 47,200 
			 St. Albans 5,000 
			 St. Edmundsbury - 
			 St. Helens - 
			 Stafford 2,300 
			 Stevenage 1,300 
			 Stockport 5,900 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3,200 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 12,900 
			 Stroud 3,600 
			 Sutton 4,700 
			 Swindon 7,800 
			 Tamworth 2,700 
			 Tandridge 2,400 
			 Taunton Deane 5,800 
			 Teesdale 500 
			 Teignbridge 2,600 
			 Tendring 1,500 
			 Thanet 3,300 
			 The Medway Towns 2,700 
			 Three Rivers 2,000 
			 Thurrock 9,300 
			 Torridge 1,200 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,200 
			 Trafford 3,400 
			 Uttlesford 2,700 
			 Vale Royal - 
			 Wakefield 32,500 
			 Walsall 4,400 
			 Waltham Forest 4,600 
			 Wandsworth 15,900 
			 Wansbeck 0 
			 Warrington 6,300 
			 Warwick 3,100 
			 Watford 3,600 
			 Waveney 4,400 
			 Waverley 4,200 
			 Wealden 2,000 
			 Wear Valley 3,300 
			 Wellingborough 3,800 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 9,100 
			 West Lancashire - 
			 Westminster 2,400 
			 Wigan 15,300 
			 Winchester 5,300 
			 Wirral 9,500 
			 Woking 2,800 
			 Wokingham 2,400 
			 Wolverhampton 11,400 
			 Worcester 2,900 
			 Wycombe 4,800 
			 York 5,500 
		
	
	(38) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. Authorities marked with a - did not supply the information in their HRA Business Plan Statistical Appendix.

Deprivation

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the position of (a) Tamworth and (b) Sutton Coldfield constituencies is in the national table of deprivation.

Barbara Roche: The table shows how all wards in the Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield constituencies are ranked according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation and the six other domains included in the Indices of Deprivation 2000 (ID 2000). Under the ID 2000, the most deprived ward is ranked 1, while the least deprived is ranked 8,414.
	
		
			 Constituency/ward LA name Rank of index of multiple deprivation Rank of income domain Rank of employment domain 
		
		
			 Tamworth 
			 Bourne Vale Lichfield 4,965 6,550 6,411 
			 Fazeley Lichfield 2,786 2,786 3,104 
			 Little Aston Lichfield 8,117 8,371 7,655 
			 Mease Valley Lichfield 4,915 5,159 7,266 
			 Shenstone Lichfield 6,203 5,532 6,603 
			 Stonnall Lichfield 7,537 7,209 6,826 
			 Tame Lichfield 7,341 8,084 6,806 
			 Amington Tamworth 2,569 2,187 3,520 
			 Belgrave Tamworth 2,028 1,707 3,080 
			 Bolehall Tamworth 2,425 3,568 3,071 
			 Castle Tamworth 3,635 3,729 3,573 
			 Glascote Tamworth 1,003 593 1,697 
			 Mercian Tamworth 3,883 3,959 3,848 
			 Spital Tamworth 3,382 3,049 2,878 
			 Stonydelph Tamworth 2,255 2,076 4,096 
			 Trinity Tamworth 5,315 5,892 6,297 
			 Wilnecote Tamworth 3,962 4,183 5,274 
			 Sutton Coldfield 
			 Sutton Four Oaks Birmingham 7,033 5,950 5,430 
			 Sutton New Hall Birmingham 4,991 3,972 4,148 
			 Sutton Vesey Birmingham 6,626 5,535 5,028 
		
	
	
		
			 Constituency/ward LA name Rank of health domain Rank of education domain Rank of housing domain Rank of access domain 
		
		
			 Tamworth 
			  
			 Bourne Vale Lichfield 6,438 4,062 2,390 858 
			 Fazeley Lichfield 2,377 2,292 3,640 3,582 
			 Little Aston Lichfield 7,673 8,017 7,769 1,826 
			 Mease Valley Lichfield 5,443 4,899 4,772 489 
			 Shenstone Lichfield 6,118 5,694 7,828 1,303 
			 Stonnall Lichfield 5,620 6,249 8,357 3,000 
			 Tame Lichfield 6,406 5,142 8,341 1,938 
			 Amington Tamworth 3,104 1,629 1,602 6,530 
			 Belgrave Tamworth 2,797 1,083 1,280 6,938 
			 Bolehall Tamworth 2,475 456 3,075 7,766 
			 Castle Tamworth 2,645 1,745 6,669 6,726 
			 Glascote Tamworth 1,748 772 787 7,384 
			 Mercian Tamworth 2,990 3,455 4,324 3,967 
			 Spital Tamworth 2,267 3,765 5,660 4,991 
			 Stonydelph Tamworth 3,889 327 4,676 4,045 
			 Trinity Tamworth 5,006 1,638 5,194 5,141 
			 Wilnecote Tamworth 4,308 1,547 3,472 4,295 
			 Sutton Coldfield  
			 Sutton Four Oaks Birmingham 5,406 7,891 8,117 3,570 
			 Sutton New Hall Birmingham 3,992 6,598 4,870 4,791 
			 Sutton Vesey Birmingham 5,178 6,885 7,113 4,550

Empty Homes

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Government Departments and agencies have (a) adopted and (b) not adopted the revised guidance on securing the better use of empty homes published by the DETR in 1999; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All relevant departments and agencies were consulted in drawing up the guidance and should follow the good practice procedures it sets out. We announced in our response to the Transport, Local Government and Regions Select Committee report on Empty Homes that we intend to issue strengthened guidance to take account of latest best practice. The guidance will be published in the new year.

Empty Properties

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many empty properties there were in England and Wales in each year since January 1997 in each local authority area.

Tony McNulty: Information relating to the number of empty properties in each local authority in England for each year from 1 April 1997 to 1 April 2001 (latest data available) has been placed in the House Library. For information on properties in Wales I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Fire Service

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what groups in the Fire Service are disadvantaged by current shift arrangements.

Nick Raynsford: Research 1 commissioned by the Government found that the difficulty of balancing home life with Fire Service hours and shift requirements is a potential barrier to the recruitment of women and single parents, and within communities with strong family ties.
	1 Home Office Fire Research and Development Group Research Reports 4/1999, 2/2000, 3/2000 and 4/2000, copies of which can be found in the House Library.

Fire Service (Modernisation)

Richard Page: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the components that make up the modernisation programme for the Fire Service; and what anticipated pay uplift percentages would be awarded to each achieved component of the modernisation programme.

Nick Raynsford: The Government have established the Independent Review of the Fire Service, under Sir George Bain, to examine modernisation and pay in the Fire Service. In its Position Paper, issued on 11 November 2002, the Independent Review recommended that above-inflation pay increases should only be paid if accompanied by modernisation. Modernisation includes:
	full-time firefighters working in the same crew as retained (part-time) firefighters;
	ending the ban on overtime;
	allowing management to change, where necessary, the rigid shift system of two days on, two nights on, then four days off in order to provide a better service;
	giving firefighters some medical training as paramedics, and allowing them to carry resuscitation equipment such as defibrillators;
	the Fire Service sharing control rooms between brigades and with other emergency services, to provide a more efficient response; and
	taking action to improve the management of sickness in the Fire Service to reduce the high numbers who retire early through sickness and ill-health.
	The full Position Paper is available at: www.irfs.org.uk/docs/positionpaper/index.htm and a copy has been placed in the House Libraries.
	It is for the local government employers and the FBU to negotiate the level of pay in the Fire Service. The Government have made it clear that anything over and above the four per cent. offered to firefighters must be paid for by modernisation.

Fire Services (CBRN)

David Davis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's bid to the Capital Modernisation Fund for money for extra equipment and training for firefighters for a CBRN emergency has been successful.

Christopher Leslie: £43 million is being provided from the Capital Modernisation Fund for mass decontamination facilities, including personal protective equipment for firefighters and associated set-up costs, such as initial training for the Fire Service in England and Wales.

Fire Services (CBRN)

David Davis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much additional funding has been granted to each fire authority since 11 September 2001 for (a) CBRN training, (b) protection equipment and (c) additional search and rescue equipment

Christopher Leslie: The additional funding for CBRN related equipment and activities will not be distributed to individual fire authorities but administered centrally by the Government. The project will be overseen by the New Dimension Group, comprising all the main fire service stakeholders. Fire authorities have been involved in the establishment of regional planning teams, the specification and order of equipment and the specification of training. CBRN training and personal protective equipment represent £7.63 million and £6.3 million respectively of the funds from the Capital Modernisation Fund. A considerable amount of work is being undertaken in partnership with the stakeholders to assess operational and resource requirements for search and rescue facilities.

Firefighters' Dispute

Andrew Selous: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on who will pay for a settlement of the firefighters' pay dispute above four per cent.

Nick Raynsford: Any pay award, not affordable within existing public expenditure, must be paid for by modernisation.

Firefighters' Dispute

Paul Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice Army officers have given to his Department regarding crossing Fire Brigades Union picket lines to use fire fighting equipment.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has neither sought nor received any advice from Army officers regarding crossing Fire Brigades Union picket lines. The military have already been given access to all the fire engines they have asked for, with an initial tranche of 27 red engines made available on the 15 November. It is expected that up to 100 will be made available from local authority reserves during the next few days.

Grants

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the grants funded by his Department for which individual members of the public and organisations may apply; and if he will make a statement as to (a) the total of such funding in the last financial year, (b) the total number of awards and (c) their administrative costs.

Christopher Leslie: Grant programmes funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for which the public or organisations may apply are listed below, together with the total expenditure outturn for 2001–02.
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 New deal for communities 85,288 
			 Community chest 6,918 
			 Special grants programme 1,731 
			 Tenant participation grant 3,845 
			 Rough sleepers 41,833 
		
	
	In addition funding from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister supports some grants payable by local authorities and some grants payable by the Housing Corporation (the latter mostly to registered social landlords).
	The number of awards made under each programme is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Many of these grant schemes are administered by intermediaries, such as local partnerships, or voluntary bodies, who are responsible for specific grant allocations.
	The administration of grant programmes is carried out by a number of different units within the Office and Government Offices to which a range of staff make a contribution. It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of these costs centrally. A small proportion of the totals given above may relate to the administration costs of bodies such as partnerships managing programmes.

Housing Market Initiative

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria were set governing the allocation of pilot projects to given areas under the Housing Market Renewal Fund initiative.

Tony McNulty: The areas invited to establish low demand pathfinder projects were identified in two ways. First, we analysed data from the statistical returns compiled by local authorities as part of the Housing Investment Programme and, where available, local housing market studies undertaken by the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (Birmingham University). Second, we looked at the scale of the low demand problem across housing markets, rather than individual local authorities. We sought to identify the most acute problems of low demand in terms of scale and intensity of the problem.

Local Authority Housing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Council households have been transferred under stock transfer in each local authority area, in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The table lists those local authorities that have undertaken large-scale voluntary transfers since 1997 and the number of Council households in each transfer.
	
		List of all large scale voluntary transfers which have taken place since 1997
		
			 Date of transfer Authority Number of households Annual total 
		
		
			 28 February 1997 Cotswold DC 4,282  
			 7 March 1997 South Staffs C 5,273  
			 19 March 1997 Lichfield DC 4,921  
			 7 July 1997 South Oxfordshire DC 5,018  
			 22 September 1997 Eden C 1,510 21,004 
			 5 January 1998 LB Lambeth(39) Moorlands 515  
			 9 February 1998 LB Bexley 4,118 
			 9 February 1998 LB Bexley 4,097  
			 2 March 1998 Congleton BC 4,061  
			 9 March 1998 Oldham BC(39) Limehurst 642  
			 19 March 1998 Liverpool CC(39) Windermere 493  
			 23 March 1998 LB Merton(39) Pollards Hill 1,018  
			 23 March 1998 LB Tower Hamlets(39) Poplar II 1,852  
			 23 March 1998 Kerrier DC 3,732  
			 30 March 1998 LB Hackney(39) Kingsmead 951  
			 30 March 1998 LB Brent(39) Fortunegate/Church End 1,481  
			 30 March 1998 Basildon DC(39) Vange 708  
			 30 March 1998 West Somerset DC 1,869  
			 31 March 1998 Stoke-on-Trent CC(39) Bentilee 917  
			 27 April 1998 Tewkesbury BC 3,066  
			 1 May 1998 Rother DC 3,058  
			 20 July 1998 LB Lambeth(39) Lansdowne Green 681  
			 7 December 1998 LB Tower Hamlets(39) Poplar II 2,431  
			 25 January 1999 Wirral(39) Leasowe 1,082 35,690 
			 1 February 1999 Tameside(39) Westashton 901  
			 22 February 1999 West Devon BC 1,446  
			 1 March 1999 South Somerset DC 8,883  
			 1 March 1999 East Lindsey DC 5,102  
			 5 March 1999 Liverpool CC(39) Pinehurst 646  
			 8 March 1999 Manchester CC 1,030  
			 15 March 1999 LB Hackney(39) Morningside 1,084  
			 22 March 1999 South Hams District Council 3,096  
			 17 March 1999 LB Hammersmith and Fulham(39)Old Oak 668  
			 22 March 1999 LB Hackney(39) Upper Clapton 1,000  
			 25 March 1999 Telford and Wrekin C 13,081  
			 29 March 1999 LB Enfield 1,194  
			 29 March 1999 Worthing BC 2,525  
			 29 March 1999 Bath and North East Somerset C 9,887  
			 29 March 1999 Manchester CC(39) East Wythenshawe 6,667  
			 29 March 1999 LB Greenwich1 Charlton Triangle 1,280  
			 29 March 1999 LB Hackney(39) Haggerston 661  
			 31 March 1999 Allerdale BC 3,704  
			 31 March 1999 Allerdale BC(39) Saiterbeck 727  
			 14 June 1999 Preston BC(39) Avenham 1,121  
			 5 July 1999 LB Lambeth(39) Central Stockwell 2,358  
			 21 June 1999 Birmingham CC(39) Central Areas 2,813  
			 26 September1999 LB Islington(39) Barnsbury 647  
			 26 September 1999 LB Islington(39) 10 Estates 739  
			 4 October 1999 Liverpool CC(39) Speke Garston 4,382  
			 18 October 1999 West Lindsey DC 3,929  
			 25 October 1999 LB Lambeth(39) St. Martins 1,033  
			 29 November 1999 Boston BC 4,871  
			 20 December 1999 Tynedale DC 3,564 89,039 
			 31 January 2000 Newcastle under Lyme BC 9,887  
			 7 February 2000 Restormel BC 3,577  
			 14 February 2000 Manchester CC (Colshaw Farm) 600  
			 21 February 2000 North Devon DC 3,293  
			 6 March 2000 LB Hackney(39) Stamford Hill 1,095  
			 6 March 2000 LB Hackney(39) Pembury Estate 1,241  
			 8 March 2000 Burnley BC 5,330  
			 20 March 2000 Manchester CC Sale Estate 1,655  
			 20 March 2000 Weymouth and Portland C 3,105  
			 20 March 2000 Huntingdon DC 6,650  
			 27 March 2000 Elmbridge BC 4,894  
			 27 March 2000 Test Valley BC 5,495  
			 27 March 2000 Wyre Forest DC 6,056  
			 27 March 2000 Manchester CC Whitefield Estate 1,033  
			 27 March 2000 LB Tower Hamlets(39)THCH 1,551  
			 27 March 2000 Tameside 8,532  
			  MBC 7,934  
			 17 July 2000 LB Richmond 7,139  
			 22 September 2000 Coventry CC 20,125  
			 2 October 2000 Fylde BC 1,905  
			 27 November 2000 Chester CC 7,096  
			 11 December 2000 Horsham DC 4,650 112,843 
			 12 February 2001 LB Tower Hamlets 196  
			 19 February 2001 East Northamptonshire DC 3,495  
			 19 February 2001 Torbay C 2,947  
			 23 February 2001 Staffordshire Moorlands DC 3,132 
			 6 March 2001 Calderdale MBC 12,759  
			 13 March 2001 Chichester DC 5,321  
			 19 March 2001 Mendip DC 4,326  
			 26 March 2001 West Wiltshire DC 3,284  
			 26 March 2001 West Oxfordshire DC 3,643  
			 26 March 2001 East Staffordshire BC 5,637  
			 26 March 2001 Manchester CC Handforth Estate 659  
			 26 March 2001 Sunderland CC 36,356  
			 28 March 2001 Blackburn with Darwen BC 9,886  
			 1 October 2001 Shrewsbury and Atcham BC 5,500  
			 5 November 2001 Mid-Bedfordshire DC 3,084 100,225 
			 4 March 2002 Derbyshire Dales 3,287  
			 11 March 2002 Chelmsford BC 6,902  
			 18 March 2002 East Hertfordshire 2,687  
			  DC 3,237  
			 25 March 2002 Erewash BC 5,847  
			 25 March 2002 Reigate and Banstead BC 4,846  
			 24 June 2002 St. Edmundsbury 5,947  
			 1 July 2002 Vale Royal BC 6,813  
			 1 July 2002 St. Helens MBC 14,632  
			 15 July 2002 Redcar and Cleveland BC 11,625  
			 15 July 2002 Knowsley MBC 17,090  
			 30 September 2002 LB Waltham Forest 2,574  
			 14 October 2002 LB Hackney CC Sheltered Stock 954  
			 14 October 2002 LB Harrow 518 86,959 
			  Total number of dwellings that have been transferred since 1997  445,760 
		
	
	(39) Indicated the transfer was an Estates Renewal Challenge Fund scheme
	Note:
	We have interpreted Mr. Pickles' question to mean Large Scale Voluntary Transfers. These are transfers by a single local authority of 500 or more households to a single landlord within any five-year period.

Local Authority Performance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the means by which scores for (a) OFSTED, (b) SSI and (c) other inspections are aggregated in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment process; and what criteria must be met for a local authority to achieve each CPA grade.

Nick Raynsford: The Audit Commission are responsible for the methodology used in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) of local authorities. Full details are available in the Audit Commission's publication, XFinal Framework for CPA for Single Tier and County Councils", and on their website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk with a summary in Annex A, which has been placed in the Library.
	In practice, OFSTED, SSI and other inspection scores are translated into a 1 to 4 scale, multiplied by the appropriate weighting, and added together to produce an overall performance score. Councils are allocated to a CPA category on the basis of their overall performance score and their corporate assessment score, together with the application of various rules that, for example, mean that a council must achieve a level of performance in key services to be 'excellent' or 'good'.

Local Authority Performance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the dates of (a) CPA inspections of each local authority and (b) other inspections which contribute to the CPA process.

Nick Raynsford: The dates on which Corporate Assessments were carried out for English county, metropolitan and unitary councils and London boroughs, are tabled below. Other inspection work contributing to the overall performance score for each authority is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Annex A—Comprehensive Performance Assessment List of Phases for Single Tier and County Councils
	The corporate assessments for the 10 pathfinder councils took place in April 2002:
	Bolton MBC
	LB of Camden
	LB of Havering
	Hertfordshire CC
	Kent CC
	Leeds MBC
	Borough of Telford and Wrekin
	Wigan MBC
	Wiltshire CC
	RB of Windsor and Maidenhead
	
		
			 May 2002 June 2002 July/August 2002 September 2002 
		
		
			 Barnsley MBC Coventry CC Bracknell Forest BC Bath and North East Somerset 
			 Bedfordshire CC Devon CC Buckinghamshire CC Birmingham City 
			 Bournemouth BC East Sussex CC Bury MBC Blackburn with Darwen BC 
			 Brighton and Hove City Essex CC Cambridgeshire CC Blackpool BC 
			 Cheshire CC Halton BC City of York Bristol City 
			 Derbyshire CC Isles of Scilly Corporation of London City of Bradford 
			 Dorset CC Knowsley MBC Cumbria CC Calderdale MBC 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire LB of Bexley Derby City Cornwall CC 
			 Gateshead MBC LB of Bromley Dudley MBC Darlington BC 
			 Hampshire CC LB of Greenwich Durham CC Doncaster MBC 
			 Kirklees MBC LB of Hammersmith and Fulham Isle of Wight Hartlepool BC 
			 LB of Barking and Dagenham LB of Haringey Kingston upon Hull Herefordshire CC 
			 LB of Kensington and Chelsea LB of Islington LB of Brent Lancashire CC 
			 LB of Lewisham LB of Richmond upon Thames LB of Baling LB of Barnet 
			 LB of Newham LB of Southwark LB of Harrow LB of Croydon 
			 LB of Sutton Leicester City LB of Lambeth LB of Enfield 
			 Norfolk CC Leicestershire CC LB of Redbridge LB of Hackney 
			 Northamptonshire CC Luton BC LB of Tower Hamlets LB of Hillingdon 
			 Nottinghamshire CC Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Lincolnshire CC LB of Hounslow 
			 Oxfordshire CC North Yorkshire CC Liverpool City LB of Merton 
			 Peterborough City Rotheram MBC North Lincolnshire LB of Waltham Forest 
			 Poole BC Sandwell MBC North Somerset LB of Wandsworth 
			 Sefton MBC Slough BC North Tyneside MBC Manchester City 
			 Staffordshire CC St.Helens MBC Oldham MBC Milton Keynes 
			 West Sussex CC Surrey BC Portsmouth City North East Lincolnshire 
			 Wirral MBC Tameside MBC RB of Kingston upon Thames Northumberland CC 
			 Wokingham Trafford MBC Reading BC Nottingham City 
			 Worcestershire CC Wakefield City Redcar and Cleveland BC Plymouth City 
			   Rochdale MBC Salford City 
			   Rutland CC Sheffield City 
			   Somerset CC Shropshire CC 
			   South Gloucestershire Solihull MBC 
			   Stockport MBC South Tyneside MBC 
			   Stockton-on-Tees BC Southampton City 
			   Stoke-on-Trent City Southend-on-Sea BC 
			   Swindon BC Suffolk CC 
			   Warrington BC Sunderland City 
			   West Berkshire Thurrock BC 
			   Wolverhampton City Torbay 
			Walsall MBC 
			Warwickshire CC 
			Westminster City

Local Authority Performance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) qualifications are required and (b) criteria are adopted for selection of members of CPA inspection teams.

Nick Raynsford: The composition and recruitment of CPA inspection teams is a matter for the Audit Commission. However, I understand that the teams that conducted the corporate assessment element of CPA were made up of: a team leadereither a senior Audit Commission inspector or auditor; an Audit Commission inspector; an appointed auditor; a peer councillor; and a peer officer.
	Peer Councillors and officers were appointed with the help of the Local Government Association and the Improvement and Development Agency. Team members were all senior staff with the relevant skills and experience.

Local Government Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans that each order laid before the House under Clause 97 of the Local Government Bill relating to charging and trading will (a) contain a provision for the Secretary of State to revoke such an order and (b) specify the circumstances for such a revocation.

Christopher Leslie: Clause 97 confers powers enabling my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister by order, to amend, repeal, revoke or disapply the application of any order, to amend, repeal, revoke or disapply the application of any enactment that restricts a best value authority's ability to charge for the provision of a discretionary service or carrying out trading in its functions. By virtue of provisions contained in the XInterpretation Act 1978," it is unnecessary for the order itself to make express provision as to its revocation. Having made an order under clause 97 for the purpose of revoking an enactment which restricts charging or trading, we would not expect to make a further order revoking that initial order.

Local Government Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister under clause 99 of the Local Government Bill relating to the Audit Commission assessment of English Local Authorities Performance, whether the Audit Commission will be free to set its own criteria; and what appeal mechanism there will be against a particular assessment.

Nick Raynsford: The clause requires the Audit Commission to provide a report on local authorities' performance and to categorise individual authorities. The Commission will be responsible for all decisions on such a report and the categorisations.
	The Commission have set out their disputes procedure in the publication XQuality Assurance Procedures and Dispute Resolution for Single Tier and County Councils". Full details are available on the Audit Commission's website at www.audit-commission. gov.uk.

Local Government Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what safeguards there will be to stop trade distortion and unfair competition in the proposed new powers to allow local authorities to trade; and how full cost recovery will be included in the pricing of services or goods traded.

Christopher Leslie: The power to trade conferred by the provisions is only exercisable through a company within the meaning of Part V of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. The Competition Act 1998 and the Companies Act 1985 will apply in the normal way to these operations. The new trading powers will therefore be subject to the same regulation as other commercial bodies. This will help ensure a level playing field with private sector competitors.
	Clause 97 provides for my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister to make an Order enabling best value authorities to trade in any of their ordinary functions. Trading is expected to take place on a commercial basis, that is, charges fixed at more than cost recovery. We expect to issue guidance on the ways in which local authorities may use the powers, aspects of competition law that authorities will need to take into account and how to avoid distortion of markets.

Local Government Bill

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reason underlies his policy on the abolition of the statutory safeguards relating to local authorities powers to borrow in relation to charging and trading.

Christopher Leslie: The Local Government Bill makes provision to allow local authorities to borrow for capital expenditure without Government consent, where they can service the debt from their revenues. This freedom would be subject to safeguards for national and local taxpayers. Any borrowing by an authority relating to services where it is exercising its powers to charge or to trade would therefore be subject to these rules.

Local Government (Anti-fraud Practices)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 25 November 2002, Official Report, column 119W, what action he is taking to encourage local authorities who do not have an anti-fraud and corruption strategy to implement one.

Christopher Leslie: A high proportion of fraud perpetrated against local authorities is benefit fraud. One of the Government's current best value performance indicators for local authorities requires authorities to state whether they have a strategy for combating such fraud. The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate, which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions, reports on benefit administration across both central government agencies and local authorities with particular emphasis on standards of counter fraud and security performance. Auditors appointed by the Audit Commission have a responsibility to review and report on the prevention and detection of fraud and corruption in the authority. New Codes of Conduct, which have applied to all local authorities since May 2002, include provisions relating to the proper use of an authority's resources.

Local Government Finance

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will meet an all party delegation from East Sussex County Council to discuss proposals for the reform of local government funding.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will shortly be consulting on the Government's proposals for the funding of local authorities revenue expenditure in 2003–04. It would probably be impossible to arrange a meeting with every individual authority which would ideally like one. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has therefore suggested to authorities that it would be helpful if they could make any representations as part of broader delegations, for example on the basis of special interest groups. If particular authorities judge that their case cannot be made effectively in this way, requests for individual meetings will be considered.

Local Government Reorganisation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of each local government reorganisation since 1972.

Nick Raynsford: Following the 1972 reorganisation, a number of unitary authorities were established in England during the 1990's. The information requested on these reorganisations is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Nevertheless supplementary credit approvals (SCAs) were given to authorities affected by reorganisation to enable them to borrow money to meet the one off indirect costs of reorganisation. The SCAs to all reorganised authorities in England totalled £492.3 million.

New Homes

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) new home (i) starts and (ii) completions and (b) demolitions there were in each quarter from 1996 to the most recent available date in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Tony McNulty: The number of new dwellings started and completed in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne is shown in the following table. Available information on demolitions is that the local authority reported 612 dwellings demolished in the financial year 2001–02.
	
		Newcastle upon Tyne
		
			  New dwellings  
			 Year/quarter Starts Completions 
		
		
			 1996   
			 1 65 81 
			 2 68 75 
			 3 35 81 
			 4 103 90 
			  
			 1997   
			 1 40 29 
			 2 125 52 
			 3 55 20 
			 4 77 53 
			  
			 1998   
			 1 105 80 
			 2 57 95 
			 3 74 135 
			 4 83 36 
			  
			 1999   
			 1 32 56 
			 2 76 96 
			 3 88 60 
			 4 116 122 
			  
			 2000   
			 1 209 93 
			 2 149 103 
			 3 111 87 
			 4 181 189 
			  
			 2001   
			 1 124 69 
			 2 122 129 
			 3 143 87 
			 4 138 109 
			  
			 2002   
			 1 231 139 
			 2 87 68

Public Service Agreements

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local PSA targets for each local authority that has entered into a local PSA agreement for (a) 2001–2 and (b) 2002–03.

Nick Raynsford: The targets are contained in the agreements, copies of which have been placed in the Library. The targets are also summarised for each authority on the Local PSA web site. The address of this web site is: http://www.local-regions.odpm.gov.uk/lpsa/index.htm.

Regional Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding or authorisation for spending will be provided for yes and no campaigns in regions which decide to hold a referendum on regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: This is a matter for the Electoral Commission under the provisions of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (sections 108–110 and schedule 12). The Government will not fund any Xyes" or Xno" campaigns.

Regional Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which national bodies accountable to Government operate on a (a) wholly and (b) partial regional basis; and in each case to which regional government office they report.

Christopher Leslie: As set out in annex C of the White Paper Your Region, Your Choice (Cm 5511; annexes updated in August 2002), apart from the Government Offices, there can be up to four main types of government presence in a region:
	central government agencies with local or regional offices (such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency);
	national non-departmental public bodies ('quangos') with local or regional offices (such as English Nature or the Prescription Pricing Authority);
	regional non-departmental public bodies (such as the Regional Developmental Agencies);
	local organisations located in a region (such as port authorities).
	An indicative list of the public bodies active in a particular region (the North East in this case) is included in the White Paper annex.

Regional Government

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people are employed by the (a) Regional Development Agency and (b) Regional Assembly in Somerset.

Christopher Leslie: In the year to 31 March 2002, the South West England Development Agency employed an average of 197 people, serving the whole of the region. There are approximately 12 staff, based in Taunton, working nearly exclusively in support of the agenda of the South West Regional Assembly. The SWRA secretariat also supports the work of two other regional organisations: the South West Local Government Association and the South West Provincial Employers. Staff work flexibly across all three parts.

Regional Government

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent evaluations have been undertaken of the effectiveness of the Regional Co-ordination Unit and Government Office network; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Roche: The Government Offices contribute to the delivery of the programmes of a number of different Government Departments and these are set out in the Corporate Plan for the Regional Co-ordination Unit and Government Office network. Performance against the Corporate Plan is monitored quarterly and the outcomes reported to sponsor Departments.
	A copy of the Corporate Plan for the network will be placed in the Library of the House.

Rough Sleepers

Adrian Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he next plans to undertake a street count of those living rough in (a) Bristol and (b) Somerset.

Barbara Roche: Local authorities are responsible for homelessness in their areas and as such also take responsibility for the co-ordination and timing of street counts. It is the policy of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that in areas where more than 10 people are sleeping rough, a count should take place at least every twelve months. This would apply to any local authority areas in Bristol or Somerset.

Standard Spending Assessment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many submissions have been received in the consultation period on the reform of the SSA.

Nick Raynsford: The Government received around 55,000 letters from the public relating to the Formula Grant Review, the great majority of these are the result of various campaigns that have been organised. One such campaign was organised by the F40 Group of local authorities, of which Staffordshire is a constituent authority, on education funding and produced approximately 53,000 responses in total.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister do not record the details of the senders of campaign letters as a matter of course. For this reason, and since very many from the F40 campaign are multiple copies of the same letter by the same people to different Ministers, it is not possible to provide a more precise answer, except at disproportionate cost.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently taking decisions on the new system to replace SSAs, carefully considering the full range of evidence, pressures and points that have been put to us. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will announce its proposals for the new system to Parliament at the time of the next provisional local government finance settlement, which it expects will be around the beginning of December 2002.

Supporting People Strategy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many letters he has received from (a) local authorities, (b) service providers and (c) service users regarding the implementation of the Supporting People strategy.

Tony McNulty: The implementation of the Supporting People programme has been designed as a participatory process involving representatives from local authorities and service providers as well as prospective service users from an early stage. Forums for communication, including email and telephone helplines, an online discussion area, regular stakeholder meetings and organised conference events are built into the programme development model. As a result the implementation team receives and responds to huge volume of correspondence by letter, email, telephone and other media covering a wide-range of implementation issues. This approach to implementation has proved effective in bringing key-stakeholders into the programme development process but due to the volume of correspondence dealt with and the diverse issues that it covers it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the overall figures in the format requested.

Sustainability Strategy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the sustainability strategy is for his Department; and if he will make a statement on how it has changed since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister makes a significant contribution to the UK's pursuit of sustainable development through our aim of thriving, inclusive and sustainable communities in all regions. In addition to this, work is under way to assess what mechanisms could be employed to ensure that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to improve its contribution to sustainable development. This work will take on board the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit.

Timber

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason the Office of Government Commerce's Green Public Private Partnerships guide makes no reference to the Government requirement that all timber should be procured from legal and sustainable sources; and if he will require the guide to be amended to reflect Government policy.

Christopher Leslie: The function of the Green Public Private Partnerships guide is to raise awareness of sustainability issues in a PPP context, and to direct project managers towards appropriate sources of advice and practical help.
	Annex A of the guide provides advice on materials, drawing specific attention to the Government's timber policy. Detailed advice on the application of the policy is set out in the key guidance documents that project managers are referred to at paragraph 2.3 of the guide.

Valuation Tribunal

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the costs will be of setting up the new Valuation Tribunal Service; what the running cost will be each year; and how many employees it will have.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is establishing the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) to provide central direction to Valuation Tribunals (VTs), to help spread best practice, strengthen corporate identity and capacity and improve customer service. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is still working on the details but currently estimates that the set-up costs will be no more than a few hundred thousand pounds, and a similar annual amount for additional running costs. This expenditure will be met from the existing baseline for Valuation Tribunals through savings already achieved through rationalisation of staff and offices plus further savings which will result from the dissolution of the non statutory Valuation Tribunal Management Board and its fora.
	VTs currently employ around 165 staff and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans for that to change except for the recruitment of a small number of HQ staff. Future staffing requirements will be a matter for the VTS to determine. It will want to take into account its workload and the impact of the Non Domestic Rates revaluation in 2005, the Council Tax revaluation in 2007 and other matters relating to the efficient management of the service.